International Dot Day: Overcoming the Fear of the Blank Page

September 15 is International Dot Day, inspired by Peter H. Reynolds’ children’s book, The Dot. In the story, Vashti stares at a blank sheet of paper, convinced she can’t draw. With a gentle nudge from her teacher, she makes a single dot. That small start turns into creativity, confidence, and a gallery wall of art.

For law students, this lesson couldn’t be more relevant. The blank page—whether it’s a cold call, the opening sentence of a memo, or your first essay exam—can feel terrifying. The fear of getting it wrong can keep you from getting started at all.

But here’s the secret: In law school, just like in The Dot, the most important thing is to make your mark.

Source: www.internationaldotday.org

The Blank Page Paralysis

Every law student knows the feeling. You sit down to brief, outline, draft, or write. The cursor blinks. The page stays white. You think: What if I don’t know enough? What if it’s all wrong?

That hesitation is normal, but it’s also dangerous. The longer the page stays blank, the more intimidating it becomes. Fear builds, confidence shrinks, and suddenly, you’ve wasted precious minutes or hours waiting for “perfect words” that never come.

Progress, Not Perfection

Vashti’s teacher didn’t ask for a masterpiece but rather just a mark. The same is true in law school.

Briefing Cases: Many students freeze when briefing because they worry about writing the “right” rule or holding. Here’s the secret: your first attempt doesn’t need to be perfect. Write down what you think the holding is, even if you’re unsure. When you come to class, you’ll compare your version against the professor’s explanation. The act of writing your best guess—and then correcting it—cements the learning far more than waiting for someone else to hand you the answer.

Outlining: Outlines don’t come together in one sitting, nor should they. Start small: create a heading for “Negligence” and jot down the basic rule. Later, you can add in cases, exceptions, and nuances. Think of it as building dot by dot until the bigger picture emerges. An incomplete outline that grows over time is far more useful than a “perfect” outline that never gets started.

Essay Writing: When you face a practice essay, the hardest part is often writing that first sentence. Don’t wait until you’ve mapped out a flawless structure in your head. Begin with a simple issue statement: “The issue is whether…” Even if it’s rough, you’ve broken through the paralysis of the blank page. Once you have something down, you can refine your IRAC, tighten the rules, and strengthen your analysis. Perfection comes in revision, not in hesitation.

Class Participation: The fear of speaking up can be as paralyzing as the blank page. When a professor asks a question, resist the urge to stay silent until you have a fully formed answer. Share your initial thought, even if it’s messy. Professors value effort, and the discussion itself helps refine your understanding. Just like writing, speaking up gets easier the more you practice.

Networking and Career Steps: Even outside the classroom, the blank page appears. Drafting your first résumé, sending an email to a professor, or approaching a professional at a networking event can feel overwhelming. Remember: you don’t have to write the “perfect” email or deliver the “perfect” elevator pitch. Make your mark with a genuine, simple introduction. You can polish and expand later as you gain experience.

Law school success doesn’t come from waiting for inspiration, it comes from beginning. And once you’ve begun, something surprising happens: each effort builds on the last.”

Practice Builds Confidence

Vashti’s confidence grew as she painted dot after dot. In law school, confidence grows the same way: Through repetition.

The first time you draft a practice essay, it might feel clunky. The second time, a little smoother. By the tenth, you’ll see patterns, issue-spot faster, and write with more structure. Each attempt is another dot that connects into a bigger picture of mastery.

The Ripple Effect: Encouraging Others

In the story, Vashti inspires another student to overcome his own blank-page fears. Law school is the same. When you share your first messy outline with a study group, or admit you struggled on a hypo, you give others permission to try, fail, and grow, too.

Your willingness to start—even imperfectly—helps build a culture of persistence.

Make Your Mark

On this National Dot Day, remember: You don’t need to create brilliance on the first try. What matters is making your mark, however small.

A dot. A sentence. A rough draft.

Because once you start, the page isn’t blank anymore. And that’s where growth begins.