Held Hostage by a Blank Screen

Is it just me, or is the first entry on a new blog The Single Most Intimidating Thing on the Internet today?

I only ask because I've had this blog set up and ready to go for months now. (Literally. Months.) But until today, I've been far too unnerved by the empty white screen to actually sit down and write something. (Of course, it goes without saying that the essays I've composed in my head while I've been in the shower or driving down the freeway have been witty, insightful and full of wisdom. Too bad all that creativity vanishes into steam when I actually sit at the computer.)

I've been like this all my life. The terror of the blank page holds me hostage. That's probably the reason broadcast journalism worked so well for me. Deadlines force my hand. There's nothing quite like writing 20+ stories a day, sometimes within minutes of air, while an executive producer hovers over your shoulder, crying "Is it done yet? Is it done yet?"

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your view), I have no executive producers stashed in my closet. At least, not live ones, anyway. So I'm forced to hold my own nose to the grindstone. And maybe exercise a bit of Spirit-led self-control and discipline.

So here's to the journey. A white screen can be terrifying -- but a blank canvas is also a treasure waiting to be discovered. Thanks be to God for giving us clean slates every morning. I don't know where I'd be without His constant and yet always new mercy.