Tag Archives: creativity is never efficient

Do Writers Have to Polish the Occasional Turd?


“I’ve been polishing turds,” I confessed to my co-coach Laura. “I spent weeks revising and tweaking and polishing the last five chapters. Then I realized I don’t even need two of them.” “Could you have gotten here without polishing those chapters?” Laura asked. I didn’t answer right away. I grudgingly admitted that I probably could […]

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Writers Must Abandon Efficiency


Some of my students and clients fret about investing time and energy in an idea that might not develop. They worry that it’ll take too long to finish a piece. They want to be efficient. Other students and clients resist making time for Process because they don’t want to waste time playing around. They want […]

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Can Distractions Actually Help Your Writing?


We are more easily distracted than we were ten years ago. Every day, far more things compete for our attention than at any other time in history. Most of those things are distractions and irrelevant tangents. So how can you navigate through all the opportunities to distract yourself? How can you reserve time for writing? […]

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Is the “Efficiency Trap” Blocking Your Writing?


When someone recommends a book, I go to my library’s website. Some books I can download immediately; I request the others be sent to my local branch. When I get an email informing me that the requested book has arrived, I stop on my way home for the Y. I find my book on the […]

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Creative Writer or Efficient Writer?


Some of my students and clients fret about investing time and energy in an idea that might not develop. They worry that it’ll take too long to finish a piece. They want to be efficient. Other students and clients resist making time for Process because they don’t want to waste time playing around. They want […]

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