Blank page bites back

What do you write on a blank page? Oh the fear, the excitement, the anticipation of that first word, the first sentence. Fear of getting it wrong. Ordinarily, I would not be particularly phased by the prospect of a blank page or, as in my case, a blank screen. On this occasion I had taken myself away for a one-man author's retreat to a lonely cottage on Dartmoor. Birthplace of many an Agatha Christie Mystery and bleak setting of The Hound of the Baskervilles, my least-favourite work by Arthur Conan-Doyle.

When I arrived, a rare sunny afternoon for the moor, I decided to start off with a moderate hike. Mostly following a designated trail over the clapper bridge, through a meadow and then climbing the nearest tor, I set my legs, my heart and my lungs to work. By the time I returned to the cottage I found myself sufficiently relaxed (not to mention fatigued) to be ready to sit at the desk by the open fireplace. Shame it wasn't winter, I thought, as there was no need to light a fire. What could be better than sitting by a log fire, bashing the keys to create chapter one of my latest (actually first) novel?

Having cooked myself a pleasant supper of instant noodles, a few chopped veggies and a tin of sardines, washed down with a refreshing glass of Chateau Red Stripe (beer) I was ready to break out the laptop. When I sat down at the desk however I noticed, for the first time, a sheet of blank paper, a fancy looking fountain pen, and an expectant air surrounding the desk. I probably imagined that last bit but, all the same, I felt the urge to dispense with the keyboard for once and try writing something by hand. A poem, perhaps. Having spent the previous few hours being assaulted by the sensory overload ordained by Mother Nature in the delightful Devonshire domain that is Dartmoor, a poem ought simply to gush from the pen.

What do you write on a blank page? I removed the top to the pen, dabbed a spot of ink onto the blotter and tried a tentative: "River rushes, poppies blush at the brookside..." As I contemplated the words on the leaf, I thought I could see the ink begin to seep into the paper. I was not mistaken, the words continued to fade until they had disappeared altogether, leaving the same blank page I had first encountered.

Odd, I thought, and tried again, forming the same seven words with the fountain pen. Again, and straight away this time, the words disappeared before my very eyes. Only, this time, other words emerged from the fibres of the paper, as if flowers blossoming from the forest floor.

YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!

O ~ o ~

Written to a picture and first line prompt, courtesy of the Writers Unit! FB Group. Why not give it a go? Here is another example, and one that scored a TOP STORY. From the pen (and/or keyboard) of D. A. Ratliff. Look out for her Elijah Boone detective stories.

Why do prompts?

Encourages you to think of something new

Provides practice at different styles and genres

Can get you out of a writing rut

Stimulates your thinking muscle

A welcome break from staring at a blank page for hours

Gives you a chance to win a TS on Vocal

Oh, and, it's fun

Don't be afraid of that blank page