Strategy From Ideation to Creation—Mastering the Blank Page Elizabeth Holloway Strategy 8 mins read February 24, 2025 » Blog » From Ideation to Creation—Mastering the Blank Page From Ideation to Creation—Mastering the Blank Page - Elizabeth Holloway Table of Contents The root of the problem—why the blank page feels so intimidating Breaking down the block: strategies for getting words on the page Building confidence through consistency What’s the takeaway? If you’ve ever had to write anything then you’re intimately familiar with the sensation of sitting at your keyboard looking at the cursor on your blank document blinking at you accusingly. The idea was there, you’d been thinking about it for hours, days but as soon as you open that document it’s gone. *Poof* It’s one of the most frustrating feelings that all writers, from dabblers to pros, encounter more often than they’d like to admit. But just because it’s common doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of strategies and workarounds to overcome it. That’s what we’re talking about today. Below, we’ve outlined practical ways to master the blank page and get your next project off the ground. The root of the problem—why the blank page feels so intimidating Just what is it about blank pages that gets us all tied in knots? There is something very similar to stage fright or performance anxiety that will empty your head of inspiration as soon as it’s time to enter the “doing” stage of a project. There are a few reasons why this might happen. A blank page in many ways represents uncharted territory. There’s no way to know ahead of time exactly how a project is going to turn out. What can compound this fear of an unknown outcome is fear of failure. It can feel safer to not try at all than to face the possibility that your project won’t turn out at all how you were hoping. Overwhelmingly, the biggest factor behind this kind of writer’s block is a combination of perfectionism and self-doubt. Every project starts out with a lot of hope for how it’s going to turn out. The blank page forces us to grapple with our ability to execute our vision. That’s where doubt starts to creep in. Do you have the skills to produce the level of work you’re imagining? We’ll talk more about managing expectations, but if I can give you one piece of advice to take with you, it’s this: your self-doubt is a liar. Breaking down the block: strategies for getting words on the page Now, grappling with a blank Google or Word doc doesn’t have to be a soul-crushing ordeal. There are plenty of strategies for side-stepping the self-doubt or the overwhelming weight of possibilities. These are tools that you can use individually or in combination that will help get you over that initial hump. And remember, the writing process is different for everyone, so feel free to experiment until you find what works best for you. Lower the bar for success We mentioned before that we’d be talking about managing expectations. This is where that comes in. By far, the best thing you can do for your confidence and productivity is to give yourself permission to write a “bad” first draft. There’s a reason why they call it a rough draft. Getting words down on the page is the hardest part. Once you have a draft you can, as the kids say, fix it in post. Creative projects are always iterative. Let your first draft be as messy as it needs to be in order to get something you can work with. Polish and perfectionism can come later. Use writing prompts and established frameworks Something important to remember is that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel with every new project. You’ve already got a lot to draw on, from your personas and brand messaging to the different writing frameworks like PAS, AIDA, BAB, and even brand archetypes. Whether you’re picking out specific pain points or interests to address, or using a specific writing framework, these things can give structure to an otherwise formless idea percolating at the back of your mind. They’ll help you know what points to hit when, and having that road map will give you the initial foothold you need to get going. Start in the middle This is a writing hack that doesn’t come up as often as it should. You don’t actually have to start your draft at the beginning. Introductions are hard, but especially so if you don’t already have a clear idea of what the rest of the piece is going to be about. You run the risk of rambling on or misstating the purpose of the piece. Instead of trying to whiteknuckle your way through it, start with the stuff that’s easier to write clearly about. For example, if you’re working on an evergreen guide for your website, you could start with the sections that define your topic and then move into the how-to and best practices sections. Once you have all of that down, it’s much easier to sum it all up in a concise, yet engaging introduction to the guide. Constraint is the mother of creativity It happens all too often, when you can do anything, you end up doing nothing. That kind of freedom can have you spiraling into the dark playground of procrastination. Something that can light the fire of creativity is to set constraints or boundaries on your writing process. This can take the form of writing in short, timed bursts, or you can challenge yourself to a certain word limit or structure. Creating limitations can help you to really understand the core of what you’re trying to communicate. Not to mention it’ll keep the scope of your project much more manageable. Use templates This is another variation on not starting from scratch. Something we do a lot at Third Wunder is create templates for creating different types of content. This means that once we’ve done the work of figuring out what works and how to structure that content type, we can recreate it much more quickly and without all the trial and error. So not only do you have a structure already laid out for you, you also aren’t faced with a completely blank document with that cursor blinking away. Instead, you have fields you can start filling in, which will help get you into the flow of writing much faster. Building confidence through consistency Something that has helped me a lot as a writer is understanding that writing is a skill just like anything else. And skills take practice and dedication to hone and maintain. There is this poetic tendency to talk about creative skills as though they’re something you either have or you don’t. That writing is 90% talent and 10% practice. This couldn’t be further from the truth. If you really want to reduce the amount of friction you experience starting new writing projects, start carving out time in your schedule every day, or every week to write. The more time you spend writing, the easier it gets. The best part is that this time doesn’t have to just be spent working on big projects. Any kind of writing counts, from journaling to writing that email newsletter. Another myth is that you’ll at some point feel “ready” to start that next big project. This may sound harsh, but you’re never going to feel ready. Instead, you need to just do it. Hit the ground running even if you’re not completely sure where you’re headed yet. You’ll figure it out as you go along. (And remember, you’ll have several drafts to get it right. ????) What’s the takeaway? Starting is hard, but it doesn’t have to be. That blank document isn’t actually your starting point. Every project is built on research, planning, and all the work you’ve done before informs the work you’re about to do. Most importantly, give yourself the grace to screw up and be messy. There’s nothing you can put on that page that you won’t be able to refine later. 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