Announcement for Writers in Minnesota: The Loft is offering a Minn Festival “Is it Time to Give Up Your Day Job?” where more than ten working writers will share their expertise and personal anecdotes about the realities of life as working writers. Register by calling 612-379-8999 or click here. This class is also a fundraiser for the Loft; … More Time to Give Up Your Day Job?
By Rosanne Bane When we aren’t performing at our best as writers, we tend to blame it on ourselves (I’m blocked, I don’t know what to write, I lack will power, discipline, talent, ambition, etc.) or on the circumstances of our lives (I’m too busy, I’ll get it to later, I have other responsibilities, etc.) … More Resistant or Under-Assisted?
By Rosanne Bane Lieutenant Commander Michael Riley made the right decision when he followed his intuition that there was something wrong with the radar blip headed for the USS Missouri. It was an Iraqi missile, not an American fighter plane, and destroying it saved the Missouri. Even in hindsight, Riley and other analysts couldn’t see … More How Far Should You Trust Your Intuition?
By Rosanne Bane Your emotional brain knows things your rational, logical cortex doesn’t. But can you trust your intuition, the things you “just know?” Should you? Here’s true story of a British naval officer who had to make that decision in a few tense moments during Desert Storm. Lieutenant Commander Michael Riley of the HMS … More How Far Do You Trust Your Intuition?
“Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.” “When in doubt, just take the next small step.” “You can get through anything if you stay put in today.” These are lessons in Regina Brett’s article “45 Life Lessons and 5 to Grow On” published in The Plain Dealer, Columbus OH back in 2006. Apparently, the … More Writing Life Lessons: When All Else Fails, Use Chocolate
In my last post, I talked about how you can move your writing forward by expanding your perception of ‘writing time’ to Product Time, which includes not only drafting, revising and editing, but all the other things a writer needs to do to complete a writing project. The very best part of Product Time is … More 15 Magic Minutes
In my response to a comment from Mary (who was in my Writer’s Resistance class), I mentioned showing up for Product Time (something we talked about in that class), so this is probably a good time to explain what I mean by Product Time. When I coach writers and teach the Writing Habit and Brain … More Honor Product Time to Honor Creative Process
In ancient Rome, when a general or emperor achieved a major success, he was celebrated with a parade, called a Triumphus, where he rode a chariot pulled by white horses through the city while the crowds cheered. Two servants (probably slaves, this was ancient Rome after all) rode in the chariot with him – one … More Sic Transit the Writing Life
When the research books and printouts pile up and your notes and drafts are getting so thick you can’t find your desk, that’s the writing life. When you have so many other appointments, projects and priorities, you can’t find your way to your desk for weeks, that’s resistance. When you’ve put in your writing … More This Is the Writing Life; That’s Resistance! Part 2
What’s the difference between normal incubation and resistance? … More This Is the Writing Life; That’s Resistance! Part 1
Bane of Your Resistance 