Archive | July, 2012

Want a Shot at a Free Copy of Around the Writer’s Block?


Even if you can’t attend the Around the Writer’s Block Book Launch Party, you still have a shot at winning a free copy of AWB. All you have to do is vote for your favorite BaneOfYourResistance post! I’ve written nearly 300 posts, so you have plenty to choose from. While you’re figuring out which is […]

30 Comments Continue Reading →

Bedtime Reading Bad for Sleep? It Depends


Thank you to those of you who commented on my previous post to let me know that your basic Kindle or Nook e-readers are not backlit and therefore, not a source of blue light. My apologies for making an incorrect assumption and lumping all e-readers in with tablets, computers, i-Phones and similar devices. If an […]

Leave a Comment Continue Reading →

Bedtime Reading Causes Writer’s Block


Many writers read in bed as part of our bedtime routine. We read until we’re tired, then it’s lights out. But if you read in bed by the glow of a Nook, Kindle, iPad or other device, you may find that you read and read and never really feel tired. Not until you have to […]

10 Comments Continue Reading →

How to Capture Creative Flow When You Have No Time


Rachel Vilsack requested a post on how to capitalize on creative flow at those times when “I come up with new, great idea that is exactly what I’ve been looking for, but it happens when I don’t have time to write, like when I’m at work. I get jazzed to work on the idea just […]

9 Comments Continue Reading →

In Memory of Ann Marsden


I regret to say I didn’t know Ann Marsden. I wasn’t conscious of her work, although I’m sure I’ve seen many of her photos. A coaching client brought her to my attention and sent me a link to a Creative Minds video of Ann talking about her creative process. It’s surreal to watch a video […]

Leave a Comment Continue Reading →

Keep Your Creative Cortex Engaged – Brain Basics Part 3


Writers have to know how to relax in the moment so we can move out of the resistance caused by a limbic system takeover and re-engage our creative cortex. But even better than knowing how to move out of resistance is knowing how to avoid it in the first place. A regular relaxation practice gives […]

6 Comments Continue Reading →

Relax Your Way Out of Writer’s Block – Brain Basics Part 2


After the last post on the neurology of resistance, many of you may be thinking “Okay, so writing resistance is normal and I don’t have to feel guilty or embarrassed. That’s a huge relief, but what do I do next? How do I get past resistance and start writing again?” The key is the RAS […]

7 Comments Continue Reading →

Brain Basics About Writer’s Block


Joel Canfield asked me to review “the foundations and high-level perspectives about why we struggle with this stuff, and why your excellent solutions work.” I’m happy to oblige!  Here are the brain basics of writer’s block. Do You Have What It Takes? If you’ve ever questioned whether you have enough discipline, will power, ambition or […]

10 Comments Continue Reading →

When to Shift Your Brain Part 2


Two posts ago, we looked at how and why you need to shift from high to low prefrontal cortex to be creative, which left us with the question of when to shift brain states. The previous post reviewed what brain states are most effective in the first three of the six stages of the creative […]

Leave a Comment Continue Reading →