It may seem a bit paradoxical that one of the best ways to sustain your writing habits during the holidays is to reduce your commitments to them. Commit to less, accomplish more. Years ago, before I understood the nature of writer’s resistance, I thought I should be able to log hours and hours of writing … More Reduce Writing Commitments to Keep Your Holidays Resistance-free
You need to write what only you can write. Of course other people write the same kinds of things you write, but your unique perspective means no one else can write a piece the way you will. Your voice matters. Even in the best of times, we need to practice Self-care to keep our creative … More Writer’s Self-care In the Time of Pandemic: Reserve Your Creative Time for What Only You Can Do
Back when the pandemic first started, I heard something on the radio that grabbed my attention. Despite my best efforts, I haven’t been able to identify the radio program or the research mentioned, so I can’t say how valid this information is, but if it’s true, it’s great news for us. Apparently, there is evidence … More Writing in the Time of Pandemic: Surprising Good News! This Is the Time to Make Your Writing Stronger than Ever!
How much do facts matter in your writing genre? When I was very young, I decided I’d write fiction because surely fiction couldn’t need facts the way journalism and nonfiction do, so I could just make everything up. Then I realized that fiction needs facts to ground the reader in the imaginary world. But when … More Fact-Track Your Writing: Tricks of Tracking #4
The old saying “Ready, set, go!” won’t work for writers who want to track their way out of resistance and into satisfaction and success. Instead, you need to Set your intentions, Ready the resources and Go track yourself. Set Your Intentions! They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but the road … More Track Your Way Out of Writer’s Block: Tricks of Tracking #3
The second trick of tracking for writing success is KISS: Keep It Simple and Seen. The system you use for tracking needs to be simple, quick, easy to use and readily accessible. It could be a chart with gold stars on your office wall, a legal pad on your desk, a Moleskine notebook in your … More Tricks of Tracking: KISS
How do you measure your writing progress: Word counts? Critical due dates? Action steps taken? I track Product Time, that is, the amount of time I spend doing anything necessary to move a writing project forward. Here’s why. While revising and reworking my novel, daily word counts of Chapter 61 shifted from 1675 to 1700 … More Tricks of Tracking: #1 Track the Right Stuff
It isn’t enough to make progress on your writing; you need to KNOW you’re making progress. Dan Pink’s ultra-short Pinkcast video on Progress Rituals reveals how seeing your progress increases your ability to make more progress. The Nudge You Need… Easy inspiration is just a text away when you enlist a text-accountability buddy. My friend … More Regular Writing Isn’t Enough — You Need to KNOW You’re Making Progress
Thanks to Theresa for her comment and questions about managing Product Time for multiple writing projects. So Many Options You can structure Product Time for multiple projects in multiple ways. For the sake of example, let’s assume a writer who commits to 15 minutes of Product Time a day, 5 days a week. (Your actual … More How to Make the Most of Multiple Writing Projects? It Depends!
I met Catherine Brennan in one of my Loft classes. Her first reaction to Process (play for the sake of play) was a mix of anxiety and enthusiasm. As she played around with the idea of playing around to support her writing, she found creative play expanded her writing and her life as a writer … More Seven Things I Learned Through Process Play: Guest Post by Catherine Brennan
Bane of Your Resistance 