Page Fright

My roommate and I were talking about authors that we like as well as reading/writing in general and, in this process, she recommended a book called Page Fright to me. It's about the random things writers do to get themselves to write. All the habits and paranoid routine they follow to get them inspired.

I started reading it a couple of days ago and I just got to a part where the author is quoting various famous writers talking about their feelings when confronted with a blank page. Now, when I think about famous writers or when I read famous books, they make it seem to easy. They seem so easily inspired and able to make me realize things about the world and myself so effortlessly. I suppose at heart I know this isn't true. Writing is incredibly difficult. How can you put into words feelings and experiences that just are and cannot be described?

I've always kind of wanted to be a writer. When I was 9 or 10 I dreamed of being a journalist. I've always loved reading and to this day think that being able to write a good book would be one of the most precious things I can do in this world. But (and there's always a but) I don't think I'm a very good writer. Or at least, I've had nothing inspire me, no "Ah ha!" moment, if I may use an extremely annoying Opera quote.

Then I read all these quotes by people, whose writing I really admire, saying how when confronted with a blank page or the need to actually sit down at their desk and just start writing, they are filled with terror. They become completely overwhelmed both physically and psychologically. On some level this inspires me because it means that they are just like me, but the thing is...they're not. They're amazing writers and if they don't know how to start, what chance do I have. Where do I start?

The answer I suppose is you just...start.

This is a little late, but

the irony in all of my sleeping over adventures is that I ended up spending more on coffee the next day than I would have spent had I just gone home and then bussed back in the morning