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Transcript

You Can’t Edit a Blank Page · The Daily Writer

• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Writer, where we share a lesson each day to help you cultivate the habits for writing success.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: A common problem we writers have is how to get started on our creative work.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: We have a rough vision of what we want to create, but we're afraid to take that first step.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: What if we go in the wrong direction?
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: What if we discover that we aren't really talented?
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: What if somebody thinks it's not any good?
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: What if this whole giant thing was just a big mistake?
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: When we're wrestling with a blank page, our minds can go all sorts of negative directions.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: But here's a solution.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Just get started.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: The famous composer Leonard Bernstein said, you can sit there tense and worried, freezing the creative energies, or you can start writing something, perhaps something silly.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: It simply doesn't matter what.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: In five or ten minutes, the imagination will heat, the tightness will fade, and a certain spirit and rhythm will take over.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I've definitely found that to be true.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: You just have to get started.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: You just have to get moving and write something.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Something anything.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Just put some words down.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: You have to plug in the machine before it's going to produce anything.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: After all, as Nora Roberts said, you can fix anything but a blank page.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Even if what you write is pretty rough, you can always revise, update, or edit it.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: But you cannot edit a blank page.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: So get moving.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Here's your daily question.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Are you willing to just start writing and let it be rough in order to get yourself moving?
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening to today's episode.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: If you've been listening to this show for any length of time, you know that one of the four practices of a great writer is creativity.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: And in order to stay creative, you've got to have great input.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where writing prompts come in.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: A writing prompt is a sentence or two that helps you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Writing prompts are an awesome creative tool for journaling, storytelling, creative writing, stress relief, social media posts, and so much more.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: But the great news is that you don't have to create these yourself.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: We've put together an amazing package of 365 daily writing prompts.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: So every day for the next year, you can have a shot of inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: You can check it out at dailywriterlife.comslash writing prompts.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, and I'll see you tomorrow.