In response to a recent post about writer’s groups, Teresa commented that she connected with an online group, but when she signed on recently, she discovered “no one was doing the challenge. I got mad and let them know it. Then I didn’t do any better, wrote zip last night and surfed instead. Trivia.” Teresa’s … More Finding a Writer’s Group that Really Works
I asked Joli Jensen, Hazel Rogers Professor of Communication and Director the Henneke Center Faculty Writing Program at the University of Tulsa, to revise an article she published in the July 9, 2014 issue of VITAE, the Chronicle of Higher Education’s website. She generously accepted my invitation and in turn invites you to: Invite Your … More Invite Your Writing Demons in for Tea: Guest Post by Joli Jensen
Today’s guest blogger Joli Jensen is the Hazel Rogers Professor of Communication and directs the Henneke Center Faculty Writing Program at the University of Tulsa. She shares insights based on 30 years of helping colleagues and students complete writing projects. She acknowledges that her suggestions are “also based on my own finely honed ability to … More Myths We Stall By: Guest Post by Joli Jensen
“In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.” – Robert Heinlein Even when you have a clearly defined goal, resistance can push you away from the writing. Goals are vital, but by themselves, they are not enough to eliminate daily acts of … More Is Your Writing Blocked by Trivia?
Why is it so much easier to write in a class than when you’re on your own at home? If you are 50% more likely to be overweight if your friends are overweight, are you 50% more likely to consistently show up for your writing if the others in your writer’s group or class do? … More Writer See, Writer Do
Writer’s resistance often comes from fear, but sometimes it comes from not understanding and respecting the creative process and our own unique way of working within that process. We can get so wrapped up in how we think we should write and worried that we’re doing it wrong that we cause the anxiety that triggers … More Avoid the Shoulds that Cause Writer’s Block
Writers need sleep. It is one of the five forms of Self-care that are essential to optimizing your brain. (Get support in developing Self-care habits) By sleep, I don’t mean getting just enough to keep dragging your sorry self through the day. I mean making the necessary changes in your life to get enough good … More 10 Reasons Sleep Improves Writing
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
One of the reasons I appreciate working with John Drozdal is his sense of humor, especially when we talk about the Saboteur (see chapter 8 in AWB). Like all of us, John got shoved around by his Saboteur for a long time without knowing what was happening. But once he found out what was going … More Out-trashing the Saboteur: Guest Post by John George Drozdal
Bane of Your Resistance 