By Rosanne Bane A fellow writer, who wants to remain anonymous, introduced me to the idea of catching the Alleluia. She in turn caught the idea from a choral director who, as she recalls, “told his students there is always an ‘Alleluia’ going on in the Universe and when you make your music right, you … More Have You Caught the Writer’s Alleluia Lately?
By Rosanne Bane Lately I’ve noticed that I have so many writing and writing-related projects that all seem like top priorities that I can’t focus on any one of them long enough to make significant progress. Many of my writing colleagues, students and clients share my frustration with having too many intriguing ideas and too … More God Is a Midwestern Hostess
By Rosanne Bane When we aren’t performing at our best as writers, we tend to blame it on ourselves (I’m blocked, I don’t know what to write, I lack will power, discipline, talent, ambition, etc.) or on the circumstances of our lives (I’m too busy, I’ll get it to later, I have other responsibilities, etc.) … More Resistant or Under-Assisted?
By Rosanne Bane What’s GEMO? a) Tickle Me Elmo’s cousin b) a command for sled dogs meaning go right (Gee) even more (Mo) c) a motto that will get your writing unstuck and keep you moving If you answered c, you’re correct. If you answered a, you’re going to have a hard … More Do You GEMO?
By Rosanne Bane “In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.” – Robert Heinlein Performing daily trivia is one of the many varieties of distraction, and distraction, as we know, is one of the most common forms of writer’s resistance. Not knowing … More Trivial Pursuits
By Rosanne Bane Many of you have found that your solution to debate about outlining vs. drafting is not to determine which approach is superior and rely exclusively on that. You’ve learned how to balance and blend both outlining and drafting. Lori L. Lake, a fellow teaching artist at the Loft Literary Center, says, “I … More The Great Debate Wrap Up
A prime source of writing resistance is the desire to write good stuff. And the demand to produce perfect writing is a guaranteed, one-way trip to Resistance City. So how we do write good stuff, if just wanting it means we’ll trigger our resistance? We sidle up to it. We surrender the desire for any … More If You Want to Write Well, You Have to Be Willing to Write Badly
When the research books and printouts pile up and your notes and drafts are getting so thick you can’t find your desk, that’s the writing life. When you have so many other appointments, projects and priorities, you can’t find your way to your desk for weeks, that’s resistance. When you’ve put in your writing … More This Is the Writing Life; That’s Resistance! Part 2
What’s the difference between normal incubation and resistance? … More This Is the Writing Life; That’s Resistance! Part 1
Bane of Your Resistance 