Sometimes we truly have so much to do, we don’t know which end is up. But sometimes the frenzy is self-induced. Feeling overwhelmed is sometimes a matter of perception – if you think you have too much to do, your limbic system takes over and you can’t think creatively about alternatives. Overscheduling is a common … More Seriously, You Need to Uncommit
Have so many things on your To Do list you don’t know where to start? Tempted to postpone your writing – again – so you can take care of all the things that you somehow ended up being responsible for? The next time you’re facing a “faux commitment,” that is a commitment you shouldn’t have … More Want More Time to Write? Uncommit Yourself
I saw my dental hygienist, Nan, last week for a routine cleaning. She noticed that I had more build-up than usual and asked if I was using my electric toothbrush. I’d had a feeling Nan was going to ask me about that. So I’d thought about why, after consistently using my electric toothbrush for years, … More Don’t Let Perfectionism Sneak Up on You
What kind of writer are you: A tortoise — slow but steady? A hare — lazy but fast when you get around to it? Or a porcupine — excellent but unheard of? Porcupine was in the famous race between the Tortoise and the Hare, but no one ever hears about it. Porcupine knew he wasn’t … More Friday Fable for Writers Who Unintentionally Block Their Writing
With a title as long as AWB’s, you’d think I’d covered all the bases. Really: the full title of Around the Writer’s Block includes the sub-title Using Brain Science to Solve Writer’s Resistance*. The sub-title in turn introduces a sub-sub-title that lists the primary forms of resistance: *Including Writer’s Block, Procrastination, Paralysis, Perfectionism, Postponing, Distractions, Self-Sabotage, … More Hidden Writing Resistance Is Just as Dangerous as Obvious Blocks
“There’s over 14,000 related images on ShutterStock! I don’t know where to begin.” One of my coaching clients is creating a new blog and feeling overwhelmed by design choices, title choices, topic choices. I commiserated. I confessed that when I select images for the personalized postcards I create for her and my other clients each … More Resisting Your Writing? It’s GEMO Time!
Writer’s block as I define it – a persistent paralysis of wanting and needing to write but being unable to eke out the words – is rare. Blocked writers are dogged in their pursuit. They will endure hours of the mental agony of being unable to do what they most want to do, believing they … More Are You Too Smart for Writer’s Block?
Do you question where your writing is going, what genre and sub-genre it belongs in, if it’s good enough? Do you question your writing because you’re resistant or are you resistant because you question your writing? Do you remember why you wanted to write back when you first entertained the idea? I started writing because … More Where Does Your Writing Belong? And Does Not Knowing Cause Writer’s Block?
How do you define ideal writing conditions? Is caffeine essential to kick your brain into writing mode? Would writing be impossible if your computer crashed? Do you need absolute quiet and solitude? Or are background sounds and activity a must for you? Would you delay writing for more than five minutes looking for a special … More “Ideal Conditions” Is Code for “Writer’s Resistance”
What if you were a kid playing hide-and-seek and no one came to find you? You’d probably a) feel hurt or angry and b) stop playing. What if it turned out you were “It” and everyone else was waiting for you to find them? You’d probably a) stop feeling bad and b) start playing again … More When Waiting Leads to Writer’s Resistance
Bane of Your Resistance 