You might encouraged and happy to know there are long stretches of working on a big writing project when all is calm, all is bright. … More New Book Update: Novel Revision Is in the Ballpark
Sammi Soutar, former business owner and investigative journalist, has taught creative writing and facilitated writers’ groups and roundtables. She is currently revising her first novel and tells me she keeps a copy of Around the Writer’s Block with her at all times. But that’s not why I invited her to share this post with us. … More Fight Prolonged Resistance with Prolonged Persistence: Guest Post by Sammi Soutar
What do you think? Did I and my fellow presenters nail our TEDx Talks? Find all ten presentations on TEDx Mahtomedi’s website and let me know which are your favorites. My mission was to explain why letting your mind wander free-range without agenda or distractions is essential to creativity, how the proliferation of ever-present electronic … More Why Not Let Your Mind Wander? TEDx Talk
The old saying “Ready, set, go!” is the wrong order for writers who want to track their way out of resistance and into satisfaction and success. 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 … More Set, Ready, Go! More Tricks of Tracking Your Writing
Every writer I know has to respond to the big D: Doubt. If we don’t respond effectively when Doubt comes to call, it can open the door for the Saboteur and all manner of writer’s resistance. Which is why I so appreciated Ellen Shriner’s perspective on doubt and how to respond to it. I think … More A Fool’s Errand or a Worthy Risk? Guest Post by Ellen Shriner
Years ago, I took a risk with students in my Writing Habit class. I gave them a simple table to track what they do for Process, Product Time and Self-care (the three habits that are the bedrock of this class and my own writing practice). Here’s the risky part: I also gave them a sheet … More Writing Students Score Success with Stars (and Other Tricks to Track Your Writing)
Do you track what you do for your writing projects? If you do, that’s great! But it’s even more important to track what you don’t do! You need to track your writing progress even on the days you don’t show up. Especially on the days you don’t show up. If you track only the days … More You Don’t Have to Write Everyday, But You Do Have to Track Everyday
“Part of what helps me stick with my writing is the chance to reset my commitments every week when I check-in with my writing buddies. If I fall off the wagon (in other words if I don’t do everything I committed to doing), I get back much sooner. It’s easier to get back into the … More Auto-Correct Writer’s Block with Weekly Check-ins
In my last post, I observed that being at a writer’s conference “…in the presence of other people who are passionate about writing and committed to their craft is exciting, energizing, inspiring and thought-provoking. It is also fraught with opportunities for your Saboteur to crash the party.” (For the most complete info about the Saboteur, … More After the Writer’s Conference #AWP2015: The Beast Beneath the Good Stuff
Over 11,000 writers attended AWP 2015 here in Minneapolis. Other writers conferences might bring together less than a hundred. Whether the conference is huge, medium or micro, being in the presence of other people who are passionate about writing and committed to their craft is exciting, energizing, inspiring and thought-provoking. It is also fraught with … More After the Writers Conference #AWP2015
Bane of Your Resistance 