Happy New Year everyone!
Ready or not, 2025 is here.
Are you a resolution maker? I have never been much of a resolution
girl, however as a writer I do like to assess where I’ve been in the past year
and where I’m going next.
One of my favorite quotes when it comes to writing is a
common one I’m sure you’ve heard. It’s attributed to bestselling author Jodi Picoult.
“You can’t edit a blank page.”
The whole quote actually says, “You can edit a bad page, but
you can’t edit a blank page,” however the second half of the sentiment speaks
to me most because it is the encouragement I need to get busy and
write SOMETHING.
As a writer, the blank page holds a certain amount of excitement.
Stories not yet told. Worlds not yet visited. Beloved friends who are waiting
for you to breathe life into them with your words.
But creating a story out of thin air is a heady challenge.
Plucking thin threads of gold from the recesses of your mind and then weaving
them together till they are shot through the fabric of a tale meant to
mesmerize and entertain hungry readers is not easy. In fact, it can be rather
intimidating.
Staring down a blank page somehow has the ability to ruffle the feathers of self-doubt. To stir the waters of uncertainty. To poke the imposter bear.
As I’ve evaluated what I accomplished in 2024, I realized
that although I had released 5 books – 4 published and one free in my
newsletter, I hadn’t really written any of them in 2024. I did edit a fourth in series which required some
rewrites and about eight additional chapters, but everything else had been
written in 2023.
When I sat down on November 1 to crank out my first 1667
words for this year’s NaNoWriMo, I confess to feeling unsure of whether I still
had what it took to start and complete a book. Line after line of white space
told me how far of a journey it would be. This story has never been told. This
world I’m imagining doesn’t really exist. These people aren’t real. They’re
just figments of an imagination that sputters and lurches like a manual transmission
in the hands of a new driver. Could I consistently pound out the words needed
to take me from word one to the end of another new novel?
Well, it’s in rough shape, but I have 3 chapters left to write on my
first romantic suspense. I could regale you with all my insecurities about it,
but I’d rather tell you the rediscovered joy of storytelling. Why was I
publishing but not writing? I never want to not write. Writing is the fun part!
The blank page to an author is an invitation to dream. To be
lost and found in the tales that we tell. Can it be intimidating? Sure, but it
is also a thrill like no other because what’s on that page when you are
finished is wholly yours. Your blood, your sweat, your tears. Your book.
In the past sixty days I have been reminded of the beauty of the blank page and I have decided that 2025 is going to be a big writing year for me. The stories, the stories, the stories. Yes, I’ll slap them up on Amazon haha, but if you wonder where I’ve disappeared to during 2025, you can safely assume that I am somewhere quiet, battling my nerves, and staring at a glorious blank page.
Are you writing new material in 2025? Drop a comment and
tell me about it. I’d love to hear what you’re working on.
