Category: Overcoming Resistance

How to Cure Creative Constipation, aka Writer’s Block

September 17, 2015

The metaphor of constipation for writer’s block has been around for a long time… Back in 1992, Clarissa Pinkola Estés talked about creative constipation in her audio recording The Creative Fire (Sounds True). She defined creativity as psychic excrement that we all naturally produce and need to express daily. Otherwise psychic toxins build up, and voilà, … More How to Cure Creative Constipation, aka Writer’s Block

The More You Don’t Get Eaten by a Tiger: Guest Post by Deb Norton

September 3, 2015

I’ve been reading Deb Norton’s blog PartWild for a couple of years and I always find myself nodding along with her insights. We resonate. So I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you who follow BaneOfYourResistance also follow PartWild. When I read “The More You Don’t Get Eaten by a Tiger,” I nodded so vigorously, … More The More You Don’t Get Eaten by a Tiger: Guest Post by Deb Norton

Neither Twisted Writer or Blocked Writer – Dreaming Writer

August 21, 2015

In a comment on a previous post, Judy Westergard wrote that her readers are the darlings she needs to kill to give herself freedom to write what needs to be written. Most writers, when they talk about killing their darlings, are referring to particular lines or passages that they just love, but that don’t really … More Neither Twisted Writer or Blocked Writer – Dreaming Writer

Twisted Writer or Blocked Writer: How Much Is Enough?

August 13, 2015

My previous post raised questions about hurting fictional characters: Do you question yourself about your willingness to write the scenes where people are going to get hurt? Do you stop short of where the story needs to go because you’re afraid of what others will think of you? How do you know when you’ve gone … More Twisted Writer or Blocked Writer: How Much Is Enough?

Twisted Writer or Blocked Writer? Which One Do You Want to Be?

August 6, 2015

T.R. realized she was resistant to writing because she was reluctant to hurt a character and “take him apart.” The unwillingness to make characters suffer is a common source of writing resistance. Unwillingness to make real people suffer in real life is what separates us from sociopaths. In memoir, personal essays and other creative nonfiction, … More Twisted Writer or Blocked Writer? Which One Do You Want to Be?

Nothing Beats Writer’s Block Like Doing Nothing

July 24, 2015

Writer’s block consists of exerting an excruciating amount of energy to accomplish nothing. I suggest you skip the painful part, and do nothing right from the start. Writers need plenty of time to do nothing and do it well. Brenda Ueland intuited the value of time to do nothing back in 1938 when she wrote … More Nothing Beats Writer’s Block Like Doing Nothing

Cut and Paste Your Way Through Writing Resistance: It’s Not What You’re Thinking

July 2, 2015

Can’t get the words on the page? Try putting pictures there first. Sometimes you need to back away, not just from the keyboard, but from words themselves. Cut pictures, not words,and paste them into a new creation.  Collage-making puts me in a different state of consciousness, one where my perspective is more fluid and creative … More Cut and Paste Your Way Through Writing Resistance: It’s Not What You’re Thinking