By: Zachary Thomas Dodson,
on 10/5/2015
Bats are a much-maligned animal. Long thought of as creepy or evil or diseased, a closer look reveals that the wide variety of bat species also possess an amazing array of attributes and perform all sorts of vital ecological roles: from pollinating bananas and mangoes to eating so many insects every night that they save [...]
By: Christopher Moore,
on 8/26/2015
Note: Join us this Thursday, August 27, at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing for an author event with Christopher Moore. Describe your latest book. Secondhand Souls is the sequel to my bestselling novel A Dirty Job, which was about a single dad in San Francisco who gets the job of being Death and runs [...]
By: Stacy A. Nyikos,
on 11/5/2014
By: Powell's Readers,
on 4/9/2014
We asked our readers: What was the last book that you couldn't put down, that kept you up all night, that you couldn't stop recommending? We were delightfully surprised by the number of replies we received. Here are some of our favorites. We'll be posting more on a regular basis, so check back often. And [...]
By: Claudette Young,
on 3/2/2012
Tension abducts the shoulders and arms. Fingers twitch ever so slightly as they rest on the keyboard. Eyes see only a blank desert before them, boding ill for any who traverse that lonely stretch of white.
Why is it that beginning a piece of writing looms, as guillotine over neck, waiting for the blade to drop? How can a simple exercise of putting words to paper or computer exact such a toll? Writers have debated the issue for years, probably centuries, and definitive answers remain elusive.
Having suffered from this debility a time or two—okay, read that as every day—I can only suggest my personal reasons for suffering and the relief measures I take to combat those reasons.
10 Reasons for Avoiding the Keyboard
Did any of these sound familiar? I’d bet that you’ve experienced at least five of these in the past three months.
Doubt is a normal human response to anything that exposes us to criticism. After all, no one likes being criticized for anything. Avoidance is the common remedy for dealing with criticism. If a venture is never begun, never made available for others to see, no one has an opportunity to criticize you for anything.
Taking Charge of Self-Doubt and Fear
Children are taught both self-doubt and fear of disapproval when they’re seldom praised for their efforts. As an adult those who’ve lived without much praise for good performance, good effort, etc. constantly seek out the missing approval. That, too, is a normal human motivation.
This constant seeking of approval can lead down a road to success or continued failure. The signpost for the direction taken, I think, is the one that reads “YOU’RE HERE—FEAR”
If fear is allowed to control you’re actions, it controls your life and your freedom. Whether you become agoraphobic or not doesn’t matter. You’re still hiding inside a locked room—the one you’ve made for yourself and your aspirations.
I created a motto for myself today and shared it with another writer this morning. It is: “If you never begin, you never arrive.”
Will the world end if your story isn’t equal to one belonging to Dickens, Heinlein, King, or Hemingway? If your poem isn’t of the same caliber as 8 Comments on Whether Right or Wrong—Write, last added: 3/3/2012
By: Claudette Young,
on 3/2/2012
Tension abducts the shoulders and arms. Fingers twitch ever so slightly as they rest on the keyboard. Eyes see only a blank desert before them, boding ill for any who traverse that lonely stretch of white.
Why is it that beginning a piece of writing looms, as guillotine over neck, waiting for the blade to drop? How can a simple exercise of putting words to paper or computer exact such a toll? Writers have debated the issue for years, probably centuries, and definitive answers remain elusive.
Having suffered from this debility a time or two—okay, read that as every day—I can only suggest my personal reasons for suffering and the relief measures I take to combat those reasons.
10 Reasons for Avoiding the Keyboard
Did any of these sound familiar? I’d bet that you’ve experienced at least five of these in the past three months.
Doubt is a normal human response to anything that exposes us to criticism. After all, no one likes being criticized for anything. Avoidance is the common remedy for dealing with criticism. If a venture is never begun, never made available for others to see, no one has an opportunity to criticize you for anything.
Taking Charge of Self-Doubt and Fear
Children are taught both self-doubt and fear of disapproval when they’re seldom praised for their efforts. Adults who’ve lived without much praise for good performance, good effort, etc. constantly seek out the missing approval. That, too, is a normal human motivation.
This constant seeking of approval can lead down a road to success or continued failure. The signpost for the direction taken, I think, is the one that reads “YOU’RE HERE—FEAR”
If fear is allowed to control you’re actions, it controls your life and your freedom. Whether you become agoraphobic or not doesn’t matter. You’re still hiding inside a locked room—the one you’ve made for yourself and your aspirations.
I created a motto for myself today and shared it with another writer this morning. It is: “If you never begin, you never arrive.”
Will the world end if your story isn’t equal to one belonging to Dickens, Heinlein, King, or Hemingway? If your poem isn’t of the same caliber as Tennyson, Whitman, Brow
By: Eric Orchard,
on 9/4/2010
This couldn’t have come at a better time. Thank you!
Glad you could get some use from it, Laurie. I have to do this for myself at least once a week. I figured I wasn’t alone in it.
Write well. I’m looking forward to seeing your new work.
Claudsy
Thanks. This is great for me right now as I am in the third month of daily writing and today I am at a loss for where to go with posts.
You’re more than welcome. I’m glad my posts are of use. If you’re stuck, you can always back up and regroup. If you’re using the daily prompt for inspiration, stop for a few moments and pull your personal take on it to the background. Then look at the prompt again as if you were someone else.
What would your parents feel, expect, etc. if they had to deal with the prompt? What about a friend from school? Would she/he feel or interpret the prompt as you do?
Sometimes when we imagine others’ reactions to something, we get a clearer image of how we’re interpretting that same thing.
Just a thought. Good luck.
Claudsy
ALL such relevant writer advice, Clauds. I really like your #2 and #4 relief measures. #2 is comforting as it is a “writing for the joy of writing feeling to it and #4 is inspiring and connecting, sometimes it’s good to get out of the “box,” otherwise known as “my head!” Thanks so much!
You’re more than welcome, Hannah. I always figure that someone out there has done something in particular, learned something helpful, before I get around to reinventing the wheel.If I find something that works for me, someone else could learn from it, or at least get a different perspective on the experience.
I’m glad to pass along some of my remedies for my own mistakes. I still make so many of them. I live to learn from them.
Clauds
Such a great, positive way to look at it, Clauds! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Hannah.