In a comment on a previous post, Judy Westergard wrote that her readers are the darlings she needs to kill to give herself freedom to write what needs to be written. Most writers, when they talk about killing their darlings, are referring to particular lines or passages that they just love, but that don’t really … More Neither Twisted Writer or Blocked Writer – Dreaming Writer
Too much structure or structure applied too soon in the writing process can weaken a novel or memoir by making it all head and no heart, all lines and logic with no curves and imagination. Resistance sets in because it was your imagination and heart that called you to write in the first place. If … More Goldilocks Your Way through Resistance to Write Your Novel or Memoir
“Excellent!” was my first thought when I read the title of Brian Klems article Six Secrets of Writing a Novel Without an Outline. I had found another writer willing to go “outline commando.” (Why I think outlines don’t work) “Absolutely!” I thought when I read Secret #3 Follow Rabbit Trails: “It’s inherent to the creative … More Going “Outline Commando” to Avoid Writer’s Block
One of my coaching clients is in an exciting and expansive place with her novel after years of feeling stuck. She has such wonderful insights, I asked her if she’d be willing to describe what’s working so well for her in a guest post. Since this post first appeared, Susan has made excellent progress and … More Balance From A Stack of Cards: Guest Post by Susan Gaines Sevilla
The three previous posts highlight the importance of scouting your route without over-scouting it. You want the benefits of knowing where you’re going so you don’t lay down tracks that keep leading you in the wrong direction without getting trapped in over-analysis, spending more time scouting than you do skiing/writing. If you fail to scout, … More Dream the Ideal Balance of Outline and Draft
Rachel Vilsack requested a post on how to capitalize on creative flow at those times when “I come up with new, great idea that is exactly what I’ve been looking for, but it happens when I don’t have time to write, like when I’m at work. I get jazzed to work on the idea just … More How to Capture Creative Flow When You Have No Time
One of my coaching clients is in an exciting and expansive place with her novel after years of feeling stuck. She has such wonderful insights, I asked her if she’d be willing to describe what’s working so well for her in a guest post. I’m honored and delighted to introduce you to Susan Gaines Sevilla, … More A Stack of Cards: Guest Post by Susan Gaines Sevilla
You’ve seen dozens of creativity quizzes (and probably scored very nicely on them), but have you ever seen a destructivity quiz? If you did see one, would you take it? And how would you want to score? The unwillingness to see ourselves as destructive is a subtle, but significant, source of resistance. Because drafting is … More Destructivity Quiz
By Rosanne Bane The most promising way I found to blend outlining with drafting is a technique that Robert Olen Butler describes in From Where You Dream. The best part about Butler’s approach is that you start blending from the very beginning, not after you’ve drafted hundreds of pages in multiple drafts or after you’ve … More Blending Both From the Very Beginning
Bane of Your Resistance 