How has your writing and your life as a writer changed since January 2020? Take your time to freewrite/free association about that. I’ll wait. Maybe your normal routines were turned inside-out and your once-regular writing habit got hazy. Maybe unprecedented responsibilities and problems pushed writing out of your mind altogether. Maybe you had time but […]
Tag Archives: writing habits
How to Build Stronger Writing Habits
In the previous post, you identified your writing habits and your resisting habits. To transform those resisting habits into writing habits, it helps to know just a bit about how habits work in your brain. When you think a certain thought or take a particular action, a series of neurons fire in sequence along a […]
Do You have Writing Habits or Resisting Habits?
Anything you can do to strengthen your writing habits and weaken the resisting habits will make your life so much easier and satisfying. Resisting habits are the thoughts and actions that make it less likely you will write. For example, consistently checking your email and Facebook when you think about writing decreases the chances you […]
Why Writers Need Habits, Not Discipline, to Overcome Resistance
In the previous post, I explained that I’m not a fan of discipline (aka punishment). Here’s why. Why Discipline (aka Punishment) Rarely Works The human brain remembers every little thing associated with a negative experience. Because any of the little details might have caused or contributed to the experience, it pays to remember those details […]
Step Away From the Marshmallow Part 2
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 […]
When Your Writing Is Stuck, Hold On
Pam McAlister (who we met in the previous post When Your Writing Is Stuck, Let Go) was able to let go of expectations because she had assumptions to hold on to. She assumed she would keep honoring her writing commitments, she assumed she had people to rely on and she assumed her writing had purpose. […]
Annoucement: Loft Classes Start Next Week
If you’re in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area and you want to be a better writer, be sure you check out the Loft Literary Center’s winter/spring class offerings. I’m teaching two perennial favorites: The Writing Habit and Writer’s Workout. The Writing Habit class will give you a safe, supportive place to apply the Recommended Practices (Process, Self-care and […]
Reward Yourself Part 3
By Rosanne Bane Blue Learns to Teeter-Totter Most of what dogs do in agility are natural behaviors – running, jumping, climbing – but the teeter-totter is not. Take another look at those videos if you’ve never seen a dog on a teeter-totter. The teeter is weighted so that one end stays on the ground. The […]
Stop Stopping Yourself
By Rosanne Bane My friend Melissa and I were laughing about how silly our rebellious natures can be – especially when we get “oppositionally defiant” with ourselves. (Oppositional defiance is a significant disorder for children and adolescents, but when you’re our age and you’re only defying yourself, it’s pretty silly.) “I hate it when I […]
Contact Rosanne
rosanne@rosannebane.com
