Since I encourage my coaching clients to celebrate their wins and breakthroughs for 2010 before envisioning what they want to accomplish in 2011, I thought I’d share this Blog Review that WordPress was kind enough to send me. You might be surprised by some of the stats — I know I was surprised and gratified … More 2010 in review
I’m solidly in initial inertia… The only way to finish is to get started. And the only way to get started is to finish.
… More Getting Started
What’s better for you: an easy win (e.g. your writer’s group loves your latest effort, the query you sent gets a quick and enthusiastic go-ahead, a blog post almost writes itself) or a painful setback (e.g. your writer’s group has questions and suggestions for your next revision, the editor you queried says “No thanks,” it … More When is Winning Really Losing?
Respecting the wisdom of your writing resistance means accepting that the resistance is there for a reason. It also means knowing that real problems have real solutions. If there is a reason to be resistant, there’s a way around it.
… More Respect the Wisdom of Resistance So You Can Move Past It
One summer when I was ten or eleven, my mom gave me a solid piece of writing advice. But neither one of us recognized that’s what it was at the time. It started when I made the mistake of telling my mom, “I’m bored.” “Call Shirley,” she said, nicely enough considering she was undoubtedly working on … More Mom’s Writing Advice
The inability to sustain focused attention for more than five minutes is often the result of mental clutter. … More Mental Clutter
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
We can’t get into the waking dream of writing if we are constantly interrupting ourselves with trivia. Writers are particularly vulnerable to and negatively affected by our culture of distraction. … More Why You Need to Pay Attention to What You’re Paying Attention To
One of the primary forms of writing resistance is distraction. And one of my favorite illustrations of distraction is in the movie Up when the dog Dug explains how his collar vocalizes his thoughts: “My master made me this collar. He is a good and smart master and he made me this collar so that I … More Squirrel!
Someone wise once told me “If you want to do something you don’t know how to do, stop doing what you do know how to do.” So if you want more time to write and don’t know how to get it, here are some suggestions: Stop clearing your desk Stop emptying the dishwasher, dusting your … More Want More Time to Write? Stop Doing What You Know How to Do!
Bane of Your Resistance 