How To Approach The Blank Page

I think to write at that level someone needs to maintain a good writing regimen, and write against their will- that is, to write something on a regular basis. One must be open to the idea, and sit down for at least an hour according to a given schedule, with the intention to do nothing but put those fingers on the keyboard and type away. I think that all too often we take for granted the insane utility a modern keyboard and decent word processor affords us. Word processors are a very useful tool in the literary industry, and while I love my typewriter, and prefer it in certain regards, I also prefer word processors in certain areas. There's something equal parts captivating and mesmerizing about being able to translate one's thoughts effortlessly onto the blank digital canvas. 

I normally don't enjoy it much when people in a given profession write or talk only about that profession, however one exception I can make is for Stephen King. Whenever he writes about what it's like to be a writer, I'd say it's worth paying come attention to. I remember in particular his short story "Word Processor of the Gods" from his short story anthology "Skeleton Crew". It is formative King in most respects, with few of the characteristics of his novels, yet it is an interesting concept to see tackled for a writer such as myself, as is "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet," also from Skeleton Crew. I find the Fornits particularly iconic, and would recommend either story for those who want some inspiration.

King's output has to be seen in the form of physical volumes to be believed. He must have a lot of fornits on his side with how many good novels he's created over the course of his lifetime. He's also been accused of drug use, although I think this has been exaggerated by the media to some extent for the purposes of sensationalism. I hardly see mind-altering substances as a prerequisite for productivity in the field of creative fiction. I write and draw everything in a mindset of hyperfocused sobriety, even without caffeinated substances, and I believe clarity is conducive to narrative coherence. 

As I've said, and King says, and as many other experts in the industry say, writing is a constant undertaking which cannot be discarded or ignored if one is to achieve optimal results. One must enter a kind of trance state where ideas come out naturally as if from a faucet. Oftentimes when creating elaborate fictional settings and characters, I allow myself to think as if I'm a firsthand witness to the events in question. I take a lot of things into account- how it would feel to experience the events described, to inhabit the world, to interact with the characters of my own volition on a whim and disrupt the plot, and how this omniscient behavior on my part would alter the course of events. Being detached from your surroundings in reality is a must. All distractions must be discarded, all visual noise reduced, until there's nothing but the translucent glow of the monitor and the nonstop cacophony of your fingers darting across the keys like nimble acrobats. 

Visualization of one's progress is also a useful process, and as I said there are certain elements of the word processor, such as the word and page count, which can be useful in determining where to stop and start chapters, and how to pace the progression of events correctly, in a way which is satisfying for the reader. I've noticed that I tend to bloat the middle of stories while rushing their end, and every time I do this I try to work a little harder to build a satisfying climax that slowly fades like a trail of fireworks into the night sky. 

I've never really experienced writer's block as much as I would say I experience writer's hesitancy. I often procrastinate when I could be writing, yet when I do commit myself I produce a very satisfactory result and never really let up until my self-imposed quota is met. I do function on a stream-of-consciousness basis, which I suppose accounts for my lack of writer's block, in that once I begin I find it extremely difficult to either stop or run out of ideas. Writing in my case is a sort of meditative lucid state, the alchemical transference of my mental acuity into sentences and paragraphs of output. From what I've heard, some approach the task from a more pragmatist direction, yet for me writing requires very little effort on my part if I apply myself correctly. 

I am hard at work on more novels and short stories now than ever- one novel on my typewriter, one on my computer, each with their own hidden intricacies and sublime limitations. I can't wait to see how they both turn out, how they each reflect a separate facet of my mind in a complementary fashion.