There is always that point in a manuscript that is extremely difficult to write. It’s called the first sentence.

I’m certainly not alone in the phenomenon lovingly known as “staring at the blank page,” and which is frequently accompanied by nervous eye-twitching, drinking of several cups of tea, re-reading other people’s blogs, writing blog entries of your own, and calculating the hours until deadline.

Eventually, somehow, that first sentence appears and the road ahead gets easier.

I always have that “aha” moment, that second in which everything shifts and I’m totally absorbed in the manuscript, oblivious to how many words I’ve written and how much more I have to go. That’s when I know that I’ll get this done, that this won’t be the end of my career just yet.

I haven’t quite figured out yet how to make that jump between the blank page and the moment when it all fits go smoother (and quicker!) I’ve written a couple hundred articles, somehow manage to meet all my deadlines, and yet, still, every time that dreaded blank page opens up, something stresses me out.

I’ve read this is the sign of the perfectionist– not wanting to write anything unless its absolutely flawless, even though you know that the more you wait the less perfect it’s actually going to be (and when does anything turn out perfect anyway?). Eventually, all said and done, you promise yourself you’ll give yourself more time next time around, that you’ll start way ahead of deadline, that you won’t let the blank page intimidate you. And then the new assignment rolls around, you wait until the last possible minute, and the process repeats itself.

How do you deal with your blank pages? Do you get excited about the prospect of filling it, or do you dread sitting at your desk each morning for fear of what you’ll produce?