The Blank Page

FREE WRITING

I wish to begin with silence.
Silence so soundless that it drowns
out the white noise.
And this silence will fill the void.
A vast void of emptiness.
A void that never ends.

There'll be light but no shadows.
Just plain light.
No corners to illuminate.
No soft edges or hard edges
that play with the light.
Clear light glaring against
the blinding blankness.

Stillness will reign.
Quiet and unmoving.
Spreading through
the never-ending white space.
To nowhere and beyond.
Ceaseless, infinite.
Nothingness spreading
far and wide
to corners of a chasm
they'll never find.

An endless, limitless,
boundless space that runs
far forever in every way.
Hollow to its core.
Bare to its bones.
Broad and barren
and soundless with stillness.
This hushed abyss.
This deep pit.
This vacuum.

And finally,
I will place a writer
at the centre
of this gaping oblivion
and watch them
bring it to life.

Tell me this isn't what a blank page feels like. Isn't it awesome how as writers we can build entire worlds out of Nothing :) but our creativity and imagination?

P.S. - This is my first piece on Write the World so kinda nervous and excited.Thoughts, opinions and reviews are always welcome. :)

Message to Readers

Let me know if the flow breaks anywhere. And how would you guys rate the ending?

Peer Review

What about this piece delighted, surprised, or moved you?

This poem was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. I can definitely relate to the terror and frustration at facing a blank page, and this poem captured that feeling perfectly. I really loved the ending too - you've got a bunch of gorgeously-written stanzas describing the empty void of a blank page, which leads suddenly into a writer, creating and filling that void. This is just such a creative concept, and I love it!

What else would you like to know? Where might the writer deepen an idea or question? Would additional details invite you further into the writing?

You've asked about whether the flow has been broken anywhere, and honestly, I don't think so. Each stanza of poem linked to each other really nicely, and the ending did not shock me suddenly, but gave me a pleasant surprise. What I would recommend though is to avoid using too many short phrases piled up on each other. I understand this may be your intention, to reflect the frustration of writer's block, but if you're aiming to have a nice, smooth flow, it may be better to vary this pattern. I've highlighted a few phrases to give you a better idea of what I mean. The main idea is to try and spice things up, introduce a little more variety in your lines (i.e. short, long, long, short, short). This also applies to prose. You don't have to follow an exact pattern of length, but reading your poem aloud can help you determine which sections need some more variety.

Reviewer Comments

I absolutely loved this poem - its concept was so creative, and your writing was captivating. Keep up the amazing writing, and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. :D