Sometimes you need an even more hands-on solution to writing resistance than picking up a pen. Sometimes you need to back away, not just from the keyboard, but from words themselves, at least for a while. Borrowing from the storyboarding technique screenwriters use, Edwidge Danticat starts her novels with collages. After creating several collages, she … More Even More Hands-on Solution to Writer’s Block
The hands-on solution to writer’s block (and other forms of writing resistance) is to literally get your hands on. Step away from the keyboard and pick up a pen. According to Newsweek “Brain scans show that handwriting engages more sections of the brain than typing.” These aren’t just any old sections of the brain being … More Hands-on Solution for Writer’s Block
On New Year’s Eve, I walked a labyrinth while meditating on what I wanted to let go of and what I wanted to embrace in 2012. At first, I thought “I want to stop being so reactive. I want to respond to difficult people and situations with equanimity.” Then I thought “Equanimity is all well … More Don’t Just Reduce Resistance, Savor Life!
What’s your vision for your writing and the rest of your life in 2012? And not a boring, corporate-like planning and strategy session — a real vision. Sure you need to ask those logical, linear, pragmatic questions that the left hemisphere knows are important. But you also need to invite the right hemisphere to play … More Beyond New Year Resolutions to New Year Vision
As long as you feel resistance, you haven’t given up. If even the smallest part of you still wants to write, that crucial part isn’t willing to just dance through life. … More Dancing with Your Eyes Open
New Year Resolutions are worse than a waste of time. Depending on what statistics and studies you look at, anywhere from 78% to 92% of the people who make resolutions fail to keep them. New Year Resolutions train you to break promises to yourself, which is the opposite of what writers who want to move … More Abandon New Year Resolutions
Detective Joe Friday knew how to track: Focus on facts. When you track Process, Self-Care and Product Time, keep your attention on two facts: “This is what I said I’d do. This is what I did.” One of the benefits of tracking is that the feedback allows you to recognize changes in your patterns and … More Tricks of Tracking #4: Focus on Facts
Your tracking system should highlight two questions: “What will I do?” (as you set your intention) and “What did I do?” (after you go into action). Even though your tracking system may not highlight it, the “ready” between the “set” and the “go” is equally important. Set Yourself! At the beginning of the week, set … More Tricks of Tracking #3: Set, Ready, Go!
Here’s what we’re looking for today. Typically found on rooftops (click, click, click). When found on lawns, they are often accompanied by “such a clatter” that neighbors report they “sprang from their beds to see what was the matter.” Those who find these elusive tracks won’t necessarily receive everything they’ve asked for, but they may … More Tricks of Tracking Christmas Eve Edition: Know What You’re Looking For
The second trick of tracking is KISS: Keep It Simple and Seen. The system you use for tracking needs to be simple, quick, easy to use and readily accessible. It could be a chart with gold stars on your office wall, a legal pad on your desk, a Moleskine notebook in your pocket (which admittedly … More Tricks of Tracking #2: KISS
Bane of Your Resistance 