The thing that tends to scare a writer the most is a blank page.
Especially a blank first page.
Maybe we can learn something from the Circque de Soleil. If you've ever seen one of their performances, you'll know it's hard to imagine anything more polished. That's why it was interesting to read (in an article on USAToday.com) what gymnast Mitch Head had to say about how they develop their seemingly effortless routines: "We start out with something basic, we tweak and build it up."
Cirque executive Lyn Heward adds that it usually takes 18 months to two years for a show to hit its creative stride. "It's rarely fine-tuned before a year."
Maybe we all face a blank page of one kind or another. The courage is in putting something down--anything--and then putting in the time and effort to tweak and polish and hone.
