What’s the difference between writer’s block and Incubation or Hibernation? Incubation and Hibernation, the third and sixth stages in the creative process, can look and feel an awful lot like writer’s block. So how you do tell the difference? Take the quiz and find out. Identify which statements describe writer’s block, Incubation or Hibernation. You … More Writer’s Block Quiz
Sometimes my Higher Self (the part of me that yearns to write) calls to me through the words of pop songs. Today Sara Bareilles’s “Brave” is my writer’s anthem. If you use a particular song to inspire your writing, please share it! I think I’ll be using “Brave” as my writing ritual to launch Product … More Be a Brave Writer
The winner of the Worst Writing Resistance Ever contest and a free copy of Around the Writer’s Block is (drum roll) Curtis Freeman. Congratulations Curtis! An excerpt of Curtis’s entry: I would like to think I have had some pretty good ideas for a sci-fi story that takes place in the mountains. Characters, locations, plot, … More And The Winner Is…
In the previous New Book Update, I talked about how, when I’m writing nonfiction, I strive to get as much out of each stage in the creative process before moving on to the next stage. But when I’m writing fiction, I spiral through some or most of the stages, then drop back and spiral through … More New Book Update: Fiction Spirals
Stephen King declares in On Writing, “If you don’t want to work your ass off, you have no business trying to write well… (p. 144).” Most writers I know are willing to work hard, to show up, put in the effort and challenge themselves to make the writing the best it can be. For my … More If You Want Your Writing to Work, You Must Play
“Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. “Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.” – Norman Vincent Peale In my last New … More New Book Update: Action Cures Uncertainty
Some days your writing unfolds like a lotus, some days you’re floundering around in the muck. Some days you get golden ideas out of nowhere; some days your inspiration is buried in mud. Some days your research gives you the one glorious bit you need to make weeks of previous research click together; some days … More No Mud, No Lotus
Who’s the weirdest of them all? Which famous writer(s) wrote in the nude, picked fleas from her cats before writing, or needed to smell rotten apples before he could write? Find out who had these and other strange ways to get started writing — and why these methods make brain sense — in Why Weird … More Why Weird Writing Rituals Work
One of the most common causes of resistance is the desire to write a great novel or a great poem, essay, screenplay, a great something. If not great, at least really good. The more you want your writing to soar, the more you strive to reach the altitudes of greatness, the more resistance you can … More Want Your Writing to Soar?
Finally a writing contest where avoiding your writing pays off! Research shows that writing about painful experiences helps us move on. So why not enter this contest and get any lingering writing-related trauma out of your system. And a maybe win a free book. Tell us about your worst experience with resistance: a full-fledged writer’s … More Worst Writing Resistance Ever Contest
Bane of Your Resistance 