The Student News Site of Van Nuys High School

The Mirror

vnhsMIRROR.com

The student website of Van Nuys High School
Van Nuys, California
The Student News Site of Van Nuys High School

The Mirror

The Student News Site of Van Nuys High School

The Mirror

Quick Take
The silent struggle behind writing

COLUMNIST: Writer’s block is a curse to every writer’s mind – but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Writer%E2%80%99s+block+is+a+painful+obstacle+for+any+writer%2C+standing+in+the+way+of+good+ideas+and+efficient+progress
FLICKR
Writer’s block is a painful obstacle for any writer, standing in the way of good ideas and efficient progress


Writing is hard.

For most people, that’s a given. But for people like me, a student who is enrolled in Journalism and AP English Lang, writing is more than that. It’s a fact of life, as essential as reading, eating, sleeping. And I wouldn’t know where I’d be without it.

But yet, more often now than ever, I find myself staring at a blank screen. The page is white. The cursor is blinking, teasing me to get my fingers to hover over the keyboard.

Writer’s block. That’s the official name of this disease. Actually, it’s not a disease; for me, it’s a bad habit. The name is an excuse, one that should be as tolerated as “my dog ate my homework.” It’s a crutch for when my page won’t fill itself up, when my sentences won’t jump out of my hands, when my mind revises each word before a red pen ever hits the paper.

A man – a really wise man, in my opinion – once said that a blank piece of paper could be the scariest thing in the world. You were going to be the first, if not the only, person to make a mark on it. But that same man also said a blank piece of paper could be the most wonderful thing in the world – only YOU had the opportunity, the power to make that blank piece of paper yours and transform it into whatever you liked.

And that’s the attitude I want to take to my writing, to break that bad habit. I am in control of that blank piece of paper. I can revise countless times before I set down my first word, but I can also choose to push out whatever is in my head, to push the buttons on my keyboard, and then edit to my heart’s content. I cannot let the blank piece of paper scare me into making the essay or article perfect from the first stroke. Instead, I choose to embrace that opportunity to make that blank piece of paper my own.

Otherwise, when else will I get the chance?

View Comments (4)
Donate to The Mirror
$385
$20000
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of Van Nuys Senior High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

About the Contributor
Daimler Koch, Online Editor-in-Chief
As the Executive Editor-in-Chief of my own weekly satirical newsletter, I’m always striving to improve my writing skills in all forms. During my first year of Journalism, I was an Arts and Entertainment staff writer and later the editor of the Opinion section. Now, I’m the Online Editor-in-Chief for the Mirror. Outside of school, I’m always either reading, pretending to be four different people for my newsletter, or preparing for my next martial arts belt test. After I graduate high school, I will go to college and study to become an English professor.
Donate to The Mirror
$385
$20000
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (4)

Comments are encouraged and appreciated. All comments are moderated. Please limit all comments to the topic of the post. Observe proper online behavior rules: No name-calling, profanity or personal attacks. ALL inappropriate content will be immediately removed.
All The Mirror Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Leave a Reply to Terri Martinez Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • T

    Terri MartinezSep 29, 2022 at 11:30 am

    Well written Deimler…can I say I knew you when?

    Reply
  • C

    CeciSep 23, 2022 at 7:34 pm

    what an inspiring article.

    Reply
  • J

    JKochSep 23, 2022 at 7:05 pm

    Well said my love

    Reply
  • B

    BGoldmanSep 23, 2022 at 7:04 pm

    So true.
    well written.

    Reply