Writing Life – Page 47 – Bane of Your Resistance

NaNoWriMo Random Scene Generator: 10 Steps to Solving the “I don’t know what to write” Problem

November 6, 2009

By Rosanne Bane Today is the sixth day of National Novel Writing Month, which means that those of you who are NaNoWriMoing should be about 10,000 words into your novel. I think NaNoWriMo can be a great way to get past resistance and I applaud the emphasis on letting go of unreasonably high expectations so … More NaNoWriMo Random Scene Generator: 10 Steps to Solving the “I don’t know what to write” Problem

God Is a Midwestern Hostess

October 28, 2009

By Rosanne Bane Lately I’ve noticed that I have so many writing and writing-related projects that all seem like top priorities that I can’t focus on any one of them long enough to make significant progress. Many of my writing colleagues, students and clients share my frustration with having too many intriguing ideas and too … More God Is a Midwestern Hostess

Monkey See, Monkey Do

October 21, 2009

By Rosanne Bane Like so many scientific breakthroughs, mirror neurons were discovered by accident. Daniel Goleman describes the fortuitous accident in Social Intelligence: Neuroscientists stumbled on this neural WiFi by accident in 1992. They were mapping the sensiomotor area of monkey’s brains by using electrodes so laser-thin they could be transplanted in single brain cells, … More Monkey See, Monkey Do

Resistant or Under-Assisted?

September 29, 2009

By Rosanne Bane When we aren’t performing at our best as writers, we tend to blame it on ourselves (I’m blocked, I don’t know what to write, I lack will power, discipline, talent, ambition, etc.) or on the circumstances of our lives (I’m too busy, I’ll get it to later, I have other responsibilities, etc.) … More Resistant or Under-Assisted?

Never Give Up

September 22, 2009

By Rosanne Bane Last night I saw “The Buddha Prince: A walking play through the extraordinary life of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama” in Powderhorn Park. I wish I had seen it on its opening night, instead of its closing, because I would have urged you all to see it, too, even if it … More Never Give Up

Do You GEMO?

September 17, 2009

By Rosanne Bane What’s GEMO? a) Tickle Me Elmo’s cousin b) a command for sled dogs meaning go right (Gee) even more (Mo) c) a motto that will get your writing unstuck and keep you moving If you answered c, you’re correct. If you answered a, you’re going to have a hard … More Do You GEMO?

Want to Be a Good Writer?

September 8, 2009

By Rosanne Bane A prime source of writing resistance is the desire to write good stuff. And the demand to produce perfect writing is a guaranteed, one-way trip to Resistance City. So how we do write good stuff, if just wanting it means we’ll trigger our resistance? We sidle up to it. We surrender the … More Want to Be a Good Writer?

Blending Both From the Very Beginning

August 25, 2009

By Rosanne Bane The most promising way I found to blend outlining with drafting is a technique that Robert Olen Butler describes in From Where You Dream. The best part about Butler’s approach is that you start blending from the very beginning, not after you’ve drafted hundreds of pages in multiple drafts or after you’ve … More Blending Both From the Very Beginning

The Great Debate Wrap Up

August 21, 2009

By Rosanne Bane Many of you have found that your solution to debate about outlining vs. drafting is not to determine which approach is superior and rely exclusively on that. You’ve learned how to balance and blend both outlining and drafting. Lori L. Lake, a fellow teaching artist at the Loft Literary Center, says, “I … More The Great Debate Wrap Up

Bane of Your Resistance

Stop distracting and fighting yourself, Surrender perfectionism and procrastination, Give yourself writing habits and outcomes you are proud of

Category: Writing Life