In 1937, Sinclair Lewis shared his version of an often repeated and often reworded bit of writerly wisdom: And as the recipe for writing, all writing, I remember no high-flown counsel but always and only Mary Heaton Vorse’s jibe, delivered to a bunch of young and mostly incompetent hopefuls back in 1911: ‘The art of […]
Tag Archives: frustration is part of the creative process
So You’re a Frustrated Writer… Are You Frustrated Enough?
If you’re struggling to find a clever transition or the structure for your book, if you’d kill for a killer plot twist or the perfect word, you’re in luck! If you’re frustrated, stymied and stuck, congratulations! Frustration is a sign you are on the verge of a breakthrough. Frustration is not just an unpleasant side […]
Why Writing Prompts Work
Too much freedom is paralyzing. The invitation to “write anything you want” is too open-ended. We can’t start because we don’t where to start. On the other hand, being told exactly what to write and how creates the “don’t tell me what to do” opposition response. Writing prompts work because they hit that sweet spot […]
So I’m Not Blocked, I’m Frustrated, Now What?
In my last post, we considered the possibility that frustration is not a symptom of writer’s block and that, as Johan Lehrer claims in Imagine, frustration is a necessary part of the creative process. So if you’re frustrated with time like I am or with something else and are willing to consider that this turmoil […]
Is it Writer’s Block or Appropriate Frustration?
What if what you’ve always thought of as writer’s block or writing resistance is actually part of the process? Maybe the frustration you’ve felt wasn’t a sign that there was something wrong with you, maybe it was a sign to keep going. In Imagine, Jonah Lehrer highlights a part of the creative process some people […]
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Bane of Your Resistance 