Sometimes You Gotta Kill the Witch: Break Through Extreme Resistance

mask day of the dead

My last post contained an array of tips for breaking through writer’s block, and they can be very effective for normal resistance, but sometimes you gotta kill the witch to break through extreme resistance! Get along with the voices inside of my head I can relate to Eminem’s song, The Monster, and after decades of writing, I’m pretty familiar with the myriad voices inside of my head. I know plenty of Creatives who count “The Monster” as their theme song. At least on darker days. Friends with the monster that’s under my bed  And most of the time, those voices and I work well …

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Break Through Writer’s Block: 13 Tips to Get You Flowing Again

break through writer's block

Break through writer’s block using these helpful techniques:

1) Break through writer’s block and breathe!  Slowly, deeply, it’s all okay and normal and you will be fine, truly. Keep on breathing…you can’t write when you’ve passed out and you’re blue in the face.Break through writer's block breathe

2) When you struggle with resistance tell yourself, “I’m not alone.” Because you’re not. Most writers will tell you that all writers have an internal voice that constantly lobbies to stop them from writing. That voice might be saying, “No way you’re going to put your stories into the world because you will get effin’ killed!  No one will care, or everyone will hate you, or you will be judged worthless! So stop writing this minute! So step away from the page! And I’ll keep nagging you until you go crazy because I’m the only voice of sanity around here!”

3) That said, if you are determined to write (and I hope you are!) you will want to find worthy supporters. Don’t ask your mom, your sig. other, your best friend to read a story and know what to say. They don’t. If you put them on the spot, they will try to help-or they may actually try to sabotage you because they don’t like that you’re actually doing what they only want to do. Find a teacher, mentor, editor who can give you honest and constructive feedback.

4) When you feel overwhelmed by rules, put the story structure info away—in a drawer, in a trash can, in a virtual trash can—and don’t look at it again. When it causes anxiety it is no longer useful. Shred any piece of paper that tells you there are rules for writing a novel. There are techniques (and you should learn them before you ignore them) but there are no absolute rules.

5) Know that finishing is difficult for your creative self (and mine and everyone’s!). When we near the end of our draft, resistance can swell a bit. Let’s be honest, it can loom as large as a friggin’ tsunami!

6) Know that beginning can be a bear, too. Blank pages may daunt so dive in with some free writes. Try this prompt: “This story is about…” Let your pen move quickly, don’t make your prose pretty, write the forbidden.

Break through writer’s block when fear tries to stop you:

7) Do a 5 minute free write using this prompt: “I am afraid to write this book because…” When you are finished, remind yourself that your fear connects you to your characters. If you write, “I am afraid my story will suck and the world will know I cannot write,” ask yourself, “who in my story is terrified of failure?” If you write, “I’m afraid to write this story because I will die or the people who read it will die,” remind yourself that your deep fears are not logical. But that kind of fear may be connected to the fear of using your voice, of being heard, of having power, and, perhaps, of being judged. At its primal nature, your fear is a doorway into your characters and your story.

break through writer's block

8) Harpies, tricksters, and other inner nasties got you down? Write a 5-Minute-Vent using the prompt: “I am allowing my inner gremlins, tricksters, furies and fear-mongers the next five minutes to have their say, here goes…”  Now transcribe what comes through until their time limit is up. Then, close the vent respectfully yet firmly. Skim what you’ve read to be sure you hear their message. Let them know you hear them. Remind your inner voices that you will give them another “hearing” tomorrow if they need to speak.  Also remind them that you (grown up, integrated, whole you) are writing this book and you are the perfect person to write this book. Remind them that they can relax and take time off because you will be okay and their messages are “early” survival alerts and misguided not to mention a drag on energy that you really want to tap for writing your novel!

9) Remember that perfection is the enemy of creativity. Nothing is perfect. Stick a post-it with “shitty first draft” somewhere on your desk so it’s visible when you write. It worked for Anne Lamott. I add “messy, fast, and hot first draft.” I also like, “shitty, shitty, bang, bang-it-out!”

10) Remain ever-curious about your story and your story world and the characters who inhabit the world. Know that you are the perfect person to write your story. It lives in you and it will live through you.

Break through writer’s block with support from other writers:

11) Let me know how this goes. We writers are often good people and we like helping other writers. We understand the courage it takes to put your deepest work out into the world to share with others.

12) Treat yourself to dark chocolate or your version of dark chocolate. Give yourself a pat-gently-on your heart (I’m serious). Have faith, you are a writer, and you are not alone. Everyone faces challenges. It’s how you deal with them that separates the writers from the wannabes.

13) Commit to a creative life and set your sights on building your body of work. Take risks, be kind to yourself and to others.

These are just a few of the tips I share  in my writer’s workshops to help you break through creative resistance. Post a comment and let me know if they help. And share your own tried and true methods to overcome resistance. I’d love to hear from you!

Need more help to break through extreme resistance? Click Here

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Help, I’m stuck on the page! — 10 Tips to Get Your Pen Moving Again~

1) Breathe!  Slowly, deeply, it’s all okay and normal and you will be fine, truly. (And repeat.) 2) Put the story structure info away—in a drawer, in a trash can, in a virtual trash can—and don’t look at it again. When it causes anxiety it is no longer useful. Shred any piece of paper that tells you that there are rules for writing a novel. 3) Know that finishing is difficult for your creative self (and mine and everyone’s!). Resistance can swell a bit when the end of a draft (or even “almost-draft”) nears. 4) Know that you are the …

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Pump Up the Faith Muscles

I just finished a phone conversation with a writer I know. He is new to writing and he’s eager to learn his craft—although he already understands how to write strong, entertaining scenes. I remind him of this often. Still, he worries a lot. I remind him, also, that his characters are strong and they have suffered and we care about them. Characters have the power to invite us into their book so we follow them eagerly across the most tumultuous narrative seas; characters also have the less-than-desirable power to shoo us away from reading because we don’t care about them …

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December’s Writing Child…more

More miscellaneous, so-not profound musings on writing: 4) If you are constantly doubting your work, ask yourself if you trust your own creative process. If the answer is anything but yes, add “TRUST” to your daily mantra. 5) You need a safe–some call it sacred–space to write, where you are free from interruptions and intrusion. That safe place might be your office, your car, the nearest library or cafe. If you write on a computer, you need to know others will not be reading your stories before you are ready to share. 6) You need psychic privacy to write–a sense …

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A REASON NOT TO WRITE

Recently a writer shared a list of all the reasons why she needed to wait until winter to begin her new writing schedule. I read it over, paused a moment, and responded, “There will always be reasons not to write.”   Those times when life seems most overwhelming–when it comes rolling straight at us full-tilt–present some of the richest challenges and also opportunities. No better time to be writing with full commitment to your practice. A writing life is just that, a writing life. It goes on, whether times are smooth or filled with upheaval. When you feel tested, I …

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WOOING YOU BACK

One of the best essays I’ve read about reconnecting to your novel and moving past “stuckness” was penned by Gail Godwin and published in The Writer. Godwin suggests that a creative work in progress may react to the fear of abandonment like an aggrieved pet, giving you, the author, the cold shoulder or even turning its back on you completely. The provocation of this punishment may be as slight as a busy weekend you spent with your family or a missed writing session. It may be more dramatic–weeks of putting your manuscript on the back-burner. When disconnect occurs, you the writer …

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NIGHT SWEATS

A writer friend confides that he suffers from nightmares as he nears completion of his first novel. “I wake in a cold sweat,” he confesses. “What if it’s not good enough? What if it’s no good? It’s like one of those dreams where you show up naked for the final exam. I didn’t used to be this scared–I didn’t doubt myself.” After we talk for several minutes, we agree the dreams, however uncomfortable, are a good sign. He is about to share his novel with a select audience of first readers, and he will be asking for their feedback. The …

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TEN THINGS I’D DIE FOR

When I asked Stephanie, a writer friend, to list ten things she would die for, her initial response was that she could handle it in one of two ways: “the mushy stuff you could get serious about such as dying for family. But I thought to myself that would never happen so I took the other approach…somewhat self-centered and fun and it has some mushy stuff but not much.”  The list is reprinted (fresh and wild) with her permission. *  A life size replica of Shaquille O’Neal as a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup *  The ability to fly *  A …

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Quote of the Day: “Lower Your Standards”

My friend Marty G., a professional writer and editor, who has been at it for thirty-plus years, does not believe in writer’s block. When a writer complains she can’t make progress on the first draft of her book, Marty advises, “Lower your standards.” When it comes to the craft of writing, Marty is an advocate for excellence, but he also knows the difference between writing a first draft and a third draft. First, get the words on the page; second, make it better; third, make it zing!

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