How Writing Is Like an Artist’s Palette

Writing is like an artist’s palette; only instead of mixing paint, we blend words.

A blank page or screen can be as intimidating to a writer as a bare canvas. Don’t think of it as something sacred. A writer cannot afford the luxury of that way of thinking because it keeps him stuck. He fears whatever he writes will desecrate it.

An artist doesn’t paint a masterpiece the first time he applies paint to a canvas with his brush. She first begins by adding paint to her palette and mixing the different paints to match the color in her inner mind. Even after brushing the paint onto the canvas, she’ll still move it around, blending the hues until she achieves the shade, tint, or tone she envisions. She reworks the paint again and again until the image on the canvas matches the one in her imagination.

When a writer feels overwhelmed by the blank page, it’s helpful to think of the page as his palette. He can apply words and phrases to begin instead of trying to compose mesmerizing prose. Jot down what comes to mind, much like creating a loose outline. Start with what you know. What happens at the beginning of the story? How does the story end? What happens in the middle? Who is your main character? What do you know about her? You don’t have to know everything, but put down what you know. As you do so, other details will come to mind, and you can record those bits of information, as well.

Once you’ve written down everything you currently know, get up, and do something else. Stretch, go for a walk, wash the dishes, but leave where you’re writing and let your body move.

Return to your writing and read what you wrote. As you do, you should feel led to start working in some area. Begin fleshing out that area until you think you’ve gone as far as you can, and then move onto the next area you feel led to work on next. Continue this process until you’ve reached the end of your writing session.

Continue to go back and work on your story, making pass after pass, until the story in your mind matches the one on the page.