Category: Common Forms of Resistance

Multiple Writing Projects: Avoiding Resistance Roadblocks on Route 3

February 14, 2019

After you’ve identified possible projects (Route 1), prioritized those projects and selected a reasonable number of projects (Route 2), you’re ready to cruise down Route 3, where the “real writing” happens, right? If you saw the trick question there, good for you! First of all, Routes 1 and 2 are just as much “real writing” … More Multiple Writing Projects: Avoiding Resistance Roadblocks on Route 3

Writing Should Be Its Own Reward, Right? Wrong!

August 22, 2018

When we’re in the flow and the words flow effortlessly, writing is its own reward. We don’t need to reward ourselves then; in fact, giving a reward for something that is intrinsically rewarding can be counterproductive. But writing isn’t intrinsically rewarding all, or even most, of the time. The misbelief that it should be creates … More Writing Should Be Its Own Reward, Right? Wrong!

Waiting to Be Inspired to Write? You’ve Got It Backwards!

March 31, 2017

How would you feel if you were playing hide-and-seek and no one came to find you? What if it turned out you were “It” and everyone else was waiting for you to find them? Are you playing a backwards game of hide-and-seek with your writing? Are you hiding, waiting for inspiration to find you when … More Waiting to Be Inspired to Write? You’ve Got It Backwards!

When Research Blocks Your Writing, Questions are the Answer

February 16, 2017

Writers who resist research often have only a vague idea of what they’re looking for, so they don’t know how to start, where to go, or when to stop. Overwhelmed by the idea of research or hoping to not have to bother with it, their writing grinds to a halt. Writers who get in stuck … More When Research Blocks Your Writing, Questions are the Answer

Love it or Hate it, Research Can Block Your Writing

February 10, 2017

Writers who don’t like research often don’t know how to start. Writers who love research often don’t know when to stop. Paradoxically, the solution is the same for both types. Stuck in the Research Some writers say they get stuck in the research because they love it. Whether they know it or not, many writers […]

… More Love it or Hate it, Research Can Block Your Writing

Kill Your Darlings — But First You Have to Find the Little Buggers

January 27, 2017

Nearly every writer has darlings — both in what we write and how we write. “Kill your darlings” is great advice. The difficulty is figuring out what your darlings are. Traditionally, a darling is anything you’ve written that you are overly attached to and is not essential to the piece you’re writing. But knowing what … More Kill Your Darlings — But First You Have to Find the Little Buggers