The previous post invited you to write your Writer’s Poop List of the things you don’t love about being a writer. So why do we deal with all this s**t? Why do I pick up what a friend euphemistically calls “recycled dog food”? Because I love my dogs and that is part of having dogs … More Keep the Poop Principle and Writer’s Block in Their Place
The wisdom of the “Do What You Love, Love What You Do” principle needs to be complimented by the awareness that sometimes you have to do what you don’t love to do so you can keep doing what you do love to do. I call it the Poop Principle, which states that in any endeavor, … More Poop Principle Prevents Writer’s Block
Feeling stuck? Avoiding your writing because you feel uninspired? You’re in luck! You have a reason to eat dark chocolate – and just in time for Halloween. Chocolate may be the most flavorful cure for writer’s resistance ever. Dark chocolate is a source of flavanols, which have been shown to improve both your coronary and … More Chocolate Cures Writer’s Block!
One of my agility trainers once commented, “If your dog does everything in class perfectly, you are failing.” I did a double-take. “Failing,” she explained, ”to challenge yourself and your dog often enough.” Are you challenging yourself as writer or are you playing it safe? What was the last big risk you took in your … More The Risks of Playing It Safe
The Unplugged Toaster When my mom was young, toasters weren’t particularly reliable or safe. They were rumored to have caught fire and burned people’s houses down. So my mom got in the habit of unplugging her toaster when she’s not using it. Fifty years later, toaster technology has significantly improved. Unless you have a toaster … More Don’t Believe Everything You Think
In response to a previous post, Nasreen Fynewever wrote: “I am leaving a comment to hold myself accountable to print the guides your book Around the Writer’s Block encourages us to use. I am also gently reminding the multitude of writers, like me, who are reading your words, nod our heads, and then fail to … More Get Ready for NaNoWriMo: Make October NaShoUpoWriMo!
You have a choice of taking Discover Your Way Around the Writer’s Block as an in-person class at the Loft starting October 30 or as an online class starting February 25. To take full advantage of having the AWB book available for the first time in either version, I’m revising the class materials and exercises … More To Fight Resistance In-person or Online, That Is the New Question
World-class athletes agree that the mental game is key to winning. Overcoming writer’s block and other forms of writing resistance is key to winning the writer’s mental game. This blog, the Around the Writer’s Block book and AWB classes give you a significant edge in this part of the game. I’ve invested years teaching and … More Winning the Writer’s Mental Game
One of my mentors once told me “You can’t start doing what you don’t know how to do until you stop doing what you do know how to do.” I’ve stopped chasing what’s urgent (which I know how to do far too well) so that I can start learning how to identify what it truly … More Break the Urgency-Induced Block
Does your writing have unexplained bumps and bruises? Does it frequently “lose” its lunch money and have to settle for the dregs of your time and attention? It is always shoved into last place in the queue? If you habitually bounce from one urgency to another, your writing will suffer. If you pay attention to … More Is Your Writing the Victim of the Urgency Bully?
Bane of Your Resistance 