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The Curse of the Blank Page: Conquering Writer’s Block

Dominic Medford
4 min readJul 23, 2024

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Every writer has been there: staring at the blank page, fingers poised over the keyboard, mind racing yet paralyzed. It’s the curse of the blank page, a phenomenon every creative knows too well. But what if I told you that this curse is actually a gift in disguise? It’s all about how you approach it.

The Blank Page: A Writer’s Nemesis

The blank page is more than just an empty space; it’s a mirror reflecting your deepest fears and insecurities. It’s the silent judge waiting for you to prove your worth. The pressure to create something remarkable can be overwhelming. But here’s the truth: the blank page isn’t your enemy. It’s your canvas, your opportunity to explore, experiment, and express.

Causes of Writer’s Block:

1. Fear of Failure:

• The fear that what you write won’t be good enough can be paralyzing. This fear often stems from perfectionism and the pressure to meet high standards.

Steven Pressfield discusses this in “The War of Art,” emphasizing how Resistance, an internal force, works against creative endeavors, causing procrastination and doubt.

2. Overwhelm:

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Dominic Medford
Dominic Medford

Written by Dominic Medford

Law and Political Sciences student in Australia who dabbles in writing about his thought processes in his spare time with the hope that it can be insightful.

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