This podcast discusses 3 reasons why writers struggle with writing: too much busywork, giving themselves too much time, and avoiding failure. It emphasizes the importance of managing mindset, setting deadlines, embracing imperfection, and overcoming fear to make progress in writing.
Focus on tangible outcomes like completing chapters instead of getting stuck in busy work.
Prioritize completion over perfection by setting specific time limits for tasks and embracing discomfort as a learning opportunity.
Deep dives
Busy Work as a Roadblock to Progress
One main roadblock that writers face is getting stuck in busy work that does not propel their writing forward. Engaging in tasks like character questionnaires, reading books on writing, and attending conferences may feel productive but can lead to exhaustion without concrete progress. It is essential to shift focus from mere activity to actual productivity when writing. By changing the mindset to producing tangible outcomes like completing chapters instead of just working on them, writers can move from a state of fruitless hustle to consistent progress.
Time Management and Quality of Work
Another challenge for writers is allocating too much time for tasks, aiming for perfection instead of completion. Spending excessive hours on a scene without corresponding progress can hinder overall productivity. Setting specific time limits to complete tasks, focusing on producing work within defined timeframes, helps in avoiding prolonged perfectionism. Embracing the concept that B minus work can still impact lives positively, unlike unfinished or unpublished work, encourages writers to prioritize completion over perfection.
Embracing Failure and Discomfort for Growth
The fear of failure and discomfort can impede a writer's progress and growth. Writers may avoid stepping out of their comfort zones to evade failure, hindering their learning and improvement. It is crucial to recognize discomfort as a necessary part of the writing journey and a catalyst for growth. Embracing discomfort as a learning opportunity, such as using placeholders like 'TK' for undecided details in drafts, enables writers to progress and become more resilient in their craft.
In today's episode, I'm going to cover three roadblocks that might be keeping you from writing. Here's a preview of what's included:
[01:45] So much of writing or editing a book has to do with managing your mind. And there’s no getting out of having to manage your mind either -- you can understand story structure, you can study all the books and take all the courses on character creation or worldbuilding or whatever, but until you understand that what you think about is going to create the emotion that either drives the action or inaction, you’re never going to take action. [02:45] Reason #1: You're stuck doing a bunch of busywork. What does this look like? Filling out character questionnaires, spending way too much time worldbuilding, taking all the courses, reading all the books, doing all the "things" -- except writing. [05:05] Reason #2: You're giving yourself too much time to get things done. What does this look like? You're putting in the time to “work on your novel”, what you actually produce doesn’t line up with the many hours you’ve been working. [08:45] Reason #3: You're avoiding failure or feelings of discomfort. What does this look like? Not taking chances. Not putting yourself out there. Not finishing a draft. [12:00] Key points and episode recap.
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