In just 1 minute and 10 seconds, Michelle May shares advice that can transform your resistance to exercise: lower the bar. The same philosophy is at the heart of the 15 Magic Minutes technique you can use to eliminate your resistance to writing, exercise or anything else you have a push-pull, “I want to … More Lower the Bar to Reduce Resistance
Last Thursday in the Twin Cities was one of those weird weather days with rain in January. The roads were wet, but not icy when I drove to Common Good Books to deliver a writer’s workshop/reading. I parked just off the alley on a significant incline and didn’t see that the rain there had frozen. … More It’s Okay to Slip… Just Don’t Stop
Wanna know why you shouldn’t waste your time with New Year’s resolutions? Wanna find out what will really improve your writing life? Meet me tonight, January 10, at Common Good Books in St. Paul from 7 to 8 pm for a free writer’s workshop/reading. I’ll explain why New Year’s resolutions are bad for writers (and … More Psssttt… Wanna Know a Secret?
Many writers share the awareness that when we’re at our very best, the writing comes, not so much from us, as through us. We are a channel that creative energy flows through. What we call the source of that creative flow varies: the Divine, the Universe, your muse, the life force, the Great Mystery. This … More Are You a Creative Super-Conductor?
Question: When is bad writing better than good writing? Answer: When wanting to write something good means you don’t write at all. When you’re polishing a piece of writing into the final manuscript, you want to select each word with deliberate precision. This is the time to fine tune the rhythm and tone of each … More When Bad Is Better
Breaking promises to yourself damages your trust in yourself, increases resistance and makes it harder to do what will work for your writing. Norman Mailer points out in The Spooky Art: Some Thoughts on Writing: “If you tell yourself you are going to be at your desk tomorrow, you are by that declaration asking your … More Reduce Writing Resistance by Rebuilding Trust
Question: What’s the difference between a New Year’s resolution and a broken promise? Answer: About three to six weeks. Research shows that 78% to 88% of New Year’s resolutions fail. Resolutions are destined to fail in part because they rely on will power, which cannot last. Applying will power is repeatedly making a decision to … More Why New Year’s Resolutions Are Bad for Writers
In the previous post, you identified your writing habits and your resisting habits. To transform those resisting habits into writing habits, it helps to know just a bit about how habits work in your brain. When you think a certain thought or take a particular action, a series of neurons fire in sequence along a … More How to Build Stronger Writing Habits
Anything you can do to strengthen your writing habits and weaken the resisting habits will make your life so much easier and satisfying. Resisting habits are the thoughts and actions that make it less likely you will write. For example, consistently checking your email and Facebook when you think about writing decreases the chances you … More Do You have Writing Habits or Resisting Habits?
In a previous post, I invited you to share your definition of writer’s block. Here’s how I see it. True writer’s block – the full-fledged aphasia and paralysis of wanting and needing to write, making yourself available to write, and consciously enduring the agony of not being able to eke out the words – is … More Writer’s Block Is Rare, But Real
Bane of Your Resistance 