Writers must be creative; it’s create or die (at least inside). In your pursuit of creativity, your brain is your most important asset. How well do you maintain it? Take this Self-care Assessment to find out. Downtime: The brain requires rest to retain what it learns. Dr. Loren Frank, assistant professor of physiology at the … More Keeping Your Writer’s Brain at Creative Optimum
Note: I’ll pick up the discussion of whether real writers get writer’s block later this week. Silas House recently published “The Art of Being Still” in the New York Times. I agree with everything in this intriguing essay about the writer’s need for stillness except this comment: “We writers must become multitaskers who can be … More Response to Silas House’s Essay “The Art of Being Still”
Earlier today I realized it’s already Wednesday and I haven’t written a blog entry this week. I groaned. My head dropped and my torso slumped in my office chair. But now, I’m physically and mentally refreshed and ready to go. What changed? I just spent 15 minutes monotasking. I set the timer for 10 minutes … More Monotasking: The Quick Cure for Writer’s Block
In more recent versions of the Marshmallow Test, Walter Mischel tells children to pretend the marshmallow is only a picture of a marshmallow or a fluffy cloud. The children who employ their imagination could wait three times longer than kids who didn’t use their imagination. “Once you realize that will power is just a matter … More Step Away From the Marshmallow Part 2
Have you seen the Marshmallow Test? Four-year-olds are given a marshmallow and told that they can eat the marshmallow whenever they want, but if they wait until the researcher comes back, they can have a second marshmallow. The videos are sometimes funny, sometimes poignant as the kids devise different strategies to avoid the temptation or … More Step Away From the Marshmallow and No One Gets Writer’s Block
My intuition tells me there is something more significant about multitasking than just “don’t do it.” It’s about focus; it’s about the ability and freedom to choose what to pay attention to. Without that ability to focus, our struggles with writing resistance will be futile. My next couple of posts will explore this connection between … More Step Away From the Catnip and No One Gets Writer’s Block
Here’s the challenge: When you write, write. Don’t do anything but write in these writing appointments. It’s amazing how much more writing you do when all you do when you write is write. … More I Challenge You to a Little Writer’s Duel
Bane of Your Resistance 