Finally a writing contest where avoiding your writing pays off! Research shows that writing about painful experiences helps us move on. So why not enter this contest and get any lingering writing-related trauma out of your system. And a maybe win a free book. Tell us about your worst experience with resistance: a full-fledged writer’s … More Worst Writing Resistance Ever Contest
Panic is the death of creativity. When you think “I’ve got to figure this out NOW or something awful is going to happen,” your chances of coming up with a unique solution are minimal. You’ll come up with something — it just won’t be something creative. (more about the brain science of why waiting to … More More Time! I Need More Time!
Are you a poet who thinks fiction is a waste of words or who can’t fathom writing that many pages? Are you a fiction writer who fears memoir will insult or embarrass your family and friends? An essayist who thinks novelists are incapable of getting to the point? The genres you avoid because you are … More Hello Untapped Genres – Goodbye Writing Resistance!
You’ve probably seen it: the confusion, frustration, disappointment or disbelief when a writing group gives a writer requested, yet unwelcome feedback. Readers wonder why the writer submitted the piece if s/he didn’t want honest feedback. They often judge the writer for being unprofessional. The writer, on the other hand, wonders why at least some people … More Are You Sure It’s Feedback You Want?
Resistance and overwhelm are old friends. Nothing can freeze the creativity right out of your brain or send you running away from your writing in search of a distraction, any distraction, as fast as contemplating the enormity and complexity of a big writing project. The bigger the dream, the bigger the resistance. But there’s an … More One Giant Leap for Writing, One Small Step for Writers
On May 9, I’ll travel (virtually, not literally) across the pond to the UK as a guest of the IACCW – International Association of Conscious and Creative Writers – to talk about What Conscious Writers Need to Know About Writer’s Block. Join Julia McCutchen and me at the live teleseminar (16:00 BST/11:00 am EST/10:00 am … More I’m Going International! Wanna Come Along?
Sometimes we get so caught up in the desire for response to our writing, we forget to screen the sources of that feedback. But all readers are not equal. Find Readers Who Are Right for Your Writing When asking for feedback, choose people whose opinions you respect and who have the experience, interest and emotional … More Do You Know Who NOT to Ask for Feedback?
[Note: We’ll return to the Feedback series after this short break.] Can’t get the words on the page? Try putting pictures there first. As I mentioned in a previous post, Edwidge Danticat creates collages to find her way into a novel. She says “I like the tactile process. There’s something old-fashioned about it, but what … More Collage Your Way Out of Resistance and Into Writing
Previous posts have identified inappropriate feedback as a cause of writer’s block (or other forms of resistance) and established that the writer should determine what level and type of feedback her/his writing receives. What you need now is a common understanding of what to call different levels of feedback with other writers you exchange feedback … More Seven Levels of Writing Feedback
When a piece of writing is “hot,” that is, when it’s fresh from your imagination onto the screen or page, you don’t really want or need critique. Like a cake just out of the oven, a new piece of writing will lose its shape and flavor if it’s poked at too soon. The level of … More Do You Know What Your Writing Needs?
Bane of Your Resistance 