This fear makes me procrastinate writing, prevents me from “flow,” and can send me into an anxiety spiral in seconds. Is this your fear, too?
I’ve worked hard to hone strategies that help me show up for my creative writing, anyway. Join me in moving through this fear so you can share your own soul’s work.
Read MoreCreative work requires risk. It requires vulnerability. It requires an unmooring of epic proportions. It requires dancing with the lightest of light and the darkest of dark.
This is why great writers cling to grounding habits because ritual provides certainty and a refuge from the uncharted space of creation. Writers cling to ritual so they can show up to the page with courage… where the most intense nightmares and fantasies come alive.
As Flannery O’Connor said, “Routine is a condition of survival.”
If you’re ready to start showing up for your creative work, ready to create a consistent writing routine that overcomes procrastination and helps you finish projects, here’s a simple way to make your writing habit stick in 60-seconds.
Read More“One of my proudest achievements is the fact that I finished a first draft.”
Are you struggling to develop a consistent writing schedule? Maybe you're having trouble sticking to your dedicated writing time? Perfectionism? Imposter syndrome? Maybe you feel frozen when you sit down to write. My friend, today's LitHabits Alumni Spotlight interview is just for you. My workshop student Christal Mancari is a speculative fiction writer, and she had all of those same doubts and fears. She moved through them and finished the first draft of her novel using the strategies she learned in my workshop. Watch the full interview and learn how she did it.
Read MoreA few weeks ago, I was shaken to my core when I learned that a writer I dearly loved–– someone who'd impacted me and millions of others through her work––passed away suddenly at 37 years old. Though she left us too soon, her good works will continue to ripple out and change lives for years to come. And that's what we're talking about on this week's broadcast. News of her passing was a violent wake up call: We don't have time to waste!
Read MoreIs there anything better than a good book in the summer? Reading may be my most sacred ritual as a writer. It opens perspective, checks my biases, and encourages me to stay endlessly curious about our wide, wonderful universe. It brings me joy. Here’s my summer reading list for the joyful writer with 10 titles (in no particular order) to feed your hungry mind and soul.
Read MoreThis morning was rough.
Actually, it started off beautifully. My morning self-care routine is solid these days. My magical morning of journaling, meditation, affirmations, and a long sunrise walk is the bedrock on which I build a life of meaning.
I’m aware that’s an obnoxious #humblebrag, but this routine was hard won. It took over three years to craft into an automatic ritual. Yeah, the “28 days” theory is total caca.
Most days, my morning routine sets me up nicely for a few hours of solid writing. I feel focused, calm, and ready to face the blank page with courage.
Today, however, was rough. For no particular reason other than it’s Friday, and my energy reserves are on E after a long week.
I sat down at my dedicated writing time at 8 a.m. and opened a blank Google doc. Instead of typing, guess what I did?
Yup, opened Facebook in a new tab. 🙄
Read MoreMany non-writing writers are so weighed down with fear, unworthiness, and overwhelm that “just write” sounds like “climb Mount Everest without oxygen.”
They give up before they begin.
Fruitful and productive writers have an intrinsic muscle set that helps them write with courage, keep the ass in the chair, and finish their most cherished projects.
Read MoreThis is the story of a writer.
As a little girl, she's quiet and spends a lot of time drawing. When she enters high school, she becomes the art editor for the school paper. She's enthralled by story and art and the depth of human experience.
When she’s 12 years old, her father is diagnosed with lupus and quickly passes away. She turns to art for comfort.
Read MoreI loathe resolutions. Who’s idea was it to set wildly audacious and unrealistic goals the week after major carbo- and sugar-loading? At that point in the year, I have no concept of time. My holiday onesie pajamas are on 24/7. My body is basically 70% Christmas cookie, 20% sweet potato pie, and 10% roast beef. How am I supposed to be clear-headed enough to chart course for the year ahead?
Real talk. Most goals never transform into being. Why? Why do 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February? Something’s holding us back.
Read MoreQuick, healthy, and yummy meals are excuse busters when I whine about… “But I can’t write! I have to cook dinner!” Or, “I need take out so I can finish this essay.” This vegetarian chili recipe takes 30 minutes to make and covers my lunch or dinner for a week. And it’s FALL! 🍁😍🍂 It’s cool enough to steam up your kitchen with a hearty one-pot recipe.
Read MoreI love a good plan. I love checklists, maps, itineraries, and tables of contents. Why? Because I want to know what I’m getting into. I want to be prepared.
Because I hate uncertainty.
Uncertainty by nature involves risk and potential for pain and suffering. This makes me very scared. Uncertainty makes me want to crawl into my solid bed, under my real covers, and remain in the present moment in the fetal position. This helps for a few minutes, but if I stay there, I don’t move forward.
Read MoreHave you ever returned from a magical and expansive vacation only to feel too foggy to get back to your writing routine? That’s me. 🙋🏻 Every time. It’s a challenge to re-awaken the willpower and discipline muscles after a few weeks off. Here are some tried-and-true strategies I’ve used to bounce back into writing after a break:
Read MoreThe LitHabits Blog is taking a break for the next three weeks! I’m heading out to sea with my family on a cruise to Alaska. 🚢Still, I’m not going to leave you hangin’! There are some new faces around the LitHabits Blog these days, so I’m going to share five of our best-liked articles from the last few months.
Read MoreOne reason it’s hard to get “butts in the chair” and “just write” is because, unless we have a solid routine in place, we must choose to write. Decision making eats up precious glucose in the brain. Each decision you make throughout the day is a deposit from your willpower bank account. Habits remove decision making from the equation.
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