There aren’t many things more intimidating than a blank page—or, nowadays, a blank screen. The actor and author Octavia Spencer once said: “The hardest thing about writing for me is facing the blank page” (Lee). The horror writer Stephen King, who knows something about fear, tells us that “the scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better.” (255).

There’s only one way to overcome the horror of the blank page, and that’s to write. Easier said than done, of course. But if you wait until you know exactly how you want to start your paper, that page will be blank for a long time. The best way to start writing is just to start writing. In his 1973 book Writing Without Teachers, Peter Elbow called this kind of writing “freewriting.” To freewrite, writers choose a specified amount of time (usually from 10 to 20 minutes) to write nonstop about whatever comes to mind. In her book Wild Mind, teacher and writer Natalie Goldberg describes this freedom as the “creator hand” freely allowing thoughts to flow onto the page while the “editor hand” remains silent. 

To start an essay draft, we’d use a technique called “focused freewriting,” which entails writing freely—and without stopping, during a limited time—about a specific topic (in this case the topic of your essay). You’ve already done some brainstorming, planning, and research, so this is an opportunity to see what kind of ideas percolate up when you relax your inner critic. Once you’re relaxed and exploring freely, you may be surprised about the ideas that emerge.

When the designated freewrite time runs out, look back over what you’ve written. Most of this material will be thrown out. However, you may find a few phrases or sentences that will provide the seeds of paragraphs in your first draft. Most importantly, you’ve conquered the blank page.