Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing… An article in the Wall Street Journal discusses several research studies that strongly suggest that professionals work better when we work less. I believe this is especially true of creative professionals. I have to say I’m not surprised. Creative people must honor the cycles of work AND rest. Go, … More Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There!
That’s our new puppy Kelda with Blue, my agility star. A dog is not something you acquire lightly. I know it’s probably not practical for EVERY writer to have a dog; maybe you could get these benefits from a kitten or a child or a child-like adult. Or you could borrow a friend’s dog every once … More 10 Reasons Every Writer Should Have a Dog
How we use language (grammar) profoundly affects our perceptions of reality. Lori Lake’s guest post clarifies important grammar concepts and Rosanne Bane’s response highlights the significance of grammar to resolving writer’s resistance. … More Don’t Be Passive Part 2
For want of a nail the shoe was lost, For want of a shoe the horse was lost, For want of a horse the rider was lost, For want of a rider the battle was lost, For want of a battle the kingdom was lost And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. … More Little Things Matter! A Lot!
What counts as Process and why is it so important? How does creative play help me get to my writing? What kind of Self-care does a writer need? How should I structure my Product Time to get the most out of it? I’ll answer these and any other questions you might have about how my … More Announcement: Meet Me at the Writer’s Buffet
By Rosanne Bane Someone once told me there’s the reason you think you do something and then there’s the REAL reason you do something. It might just be that the real reason I show up to write five days a week is because: #11 I’m accountable. I simply will not tell the students in my … More Reason 11
By Rosanne Bane Showing up for your writing might mean drafting or revising, but it also means doing any of the other things that are essential to writing: research, reading, mind-mapping, clustering, brainstorming with other people, sketching a character, doing a writing exercise, creating a timeline, transcribing interview notes, and so on. Even if you … More 10 Reasons to Show Up for Your Writing Today
By Rosanne Bane 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 … More The Risks of Playing It Safe
By Rosanne Bane In my Writing Habit class, I invite students to “bet” on themselves each week. If they want to bet, they put a buck in an envelope and write their commitment for what they’re going to do that week: so many days of creative play (aka Process), so many days of this kind … More Wanna Bet?
By Rosanne Bane What’s Your Teeter Look Like? Create a checklist of the intermediate behaviors that will lead you from where you are to where you want to go. You should phase out rewards for more basic behaviors gradually over the course of weeks, even months. If it seems you are giving yourself far too … More Rewarding Yourself Part 4
Bane of Your Resistance 