Dear blank page,

Hello old friend, I have missed you not. And yet, here you are, patiently waiting for me. I must confess, I have been neglecting you. But the inescapable pressure of deadlines has brought me back in front of you.

Now I need you to disappear. To conjure blobs of digital ink, of ones and zeroes in the shape of letters. And I need those letters to mean something. While we are at it, align them into interesting sentences, string them into unitary paragraphs that seamlessly lead to the next one. Finally, if it is not much to ask, bring everything together by an invisible thread, by an underground river that flows from beginning to end.

I am aware of what I am asking from you, and I am aware I have been doing other things. I promise you, those things were also important. Now I can help you. I have graphs and figures and beautiful colors that will ease your workload and the need to fill everything with words. They are not all ready, but I have enough to get started, and I’ll finish the rest on the side.

Sorry I can’t give you my full attention. You will get these ten minutes every week I can, just to practice. Just to call you and make you go away. I know it is not the best of friendships. But it is the one we’ve got. You will always be there. I will always come back with the intention to make you go away in ten minutes or less. I hope you understand. And always remember, one thing is for sure, nothing I ever write would not have been possible without you.

Yours,

OPA

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This post is part of a series of exercises that will accompany me during thesis writing. You can find them all in the “Archive of first drafts“. The only goal is to write anything in the span of 10 minutes, with minimal planning and editing. If you read this at all, say hi, writing can be lonely. If you have any tips, experiences, or memories that you feel like sharing or may help fellow writers, drop a comment below or DM me, you never know who can benefit from it.