The blank page means to go. Attack. Write for five minutes straight. Put “TK” (to come) in for things that need to be flushed out or fact-checked. But keep writing, jogging the brain.
Once you have everything down on paper go back and dig through the trash. Keep what is necessary and discard the rest.
The writing process is like sampling music: we pluck the highlights and play with them, often recasting ideas, thoughts, and sentences into something new.
Never be afraid to get into the weeds, get more specific, and explore the deeper angles of a thought or a word.
The writing process is messy. It’s supposed to be, like smacking paint on a canvass. Writing is observing, splurging, and then editing. It only knows work and process.
So how you do write? You spill your thoughts first, and then you go back and clean up the mess.