Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse…

18 years ago I was sitting in my 7th grade English class and my teacher told us that while we were roughing out our work we should always, 100% of the time, be writing. I, always the antagonist and forever unwilling to take things at face value, of course questioned my teacher. “What if we’re still thinking of the next thing to write?”

Astutely, she replied: “If you can’t think of the next thing to write, write literally anything, even just “Mickey Mouse” over and over and over again until you think of something to write.

Blank page syndrome is just that. Fear of filling a blank page. But the page isn’t blank if you just start writing.

I read, someone else’s blog post earlier today (Shoutout to Captain Emerity) and I realized how many times I’ve been afraid to start something because I want my concept to be perfect before I even try. But Michael Scott said Wayne Gretsky said “You miss 100% of the shot’s you don’t take”. So take a shot. Any shot. Literally just write something.

This blog, I’m not sure if I’ve ever confessed to anyone, was a way for me to learn to finally just “Take the shot”. Don’t keep aiming until it’s perfect. Don’t sit there counting every grain of powder before finally plugging the case with a round and charging the armament. Just shit something out on a page and polish it until it shines, remember 15 some years ago the Mythbusters made cat poop dorodango, I assure you that turd will polish up if you really want it to.

Sometimes we write a lemon. Trash it, Frog it and start over, sheeeit [she said in her best Clay Davis impersonation] post it anyway and see what happens. What’s the worst thing that could possibly happen? You lose a follower? Upset a nimby? Maybe the rawness of your steaming hot pile of garbage floating to the top of the endless stream of great tv and shit takes will sway someone to take the plunge, make the shot, and finally publish… something.

Go drop a beautifully terrible literary steamer.

Love y’all,
Nora