One of the most exciting aspects of writing is what we learn about ourselves in the process.
I work primarily with fiction writers, memoirists and screenwriters. I also support non-fiction writers through the process of finishing. Though the writer I post about today is non-fiction, her problem and her solution fit for any writer, fiction and non-fiction.
I’ve been working with this writer for months. Throughout that entire time, she has had tremendous resistance to actually sitting down and writing her project. Only by checking in weekly for a pep-talk and ongoing help with structure and accountability does she find the strength to continue.
Having never considered herself a writer, she is fraught with uncertainty and insecurity around the act of writing. She is confident when in her role as an expert in her field. When discussing her writing project, her voice turns unsteady and her resolve fragile.
She refuses to succumb to her fears and doubts and continues to show up for her writing. In the process, she has been transformed. An epiphany hits. With insight into the parts she wants to write and those parts she feels she “should” include, she forms a new relationship with her book. Now that she sees the book in new ways, new energy flows, allowing her to take true ownership of the project, helping her to narrow and refine her focus in her work and thus narrow and redefine the book.
With the relationship in balance — you being true to who you are and the book reflecting that — the more effortless the completion…
Understanding why you don't want to write a particular part of the book, or why you're stuck is so critical. A lot of people talk about writer's block, but there are so many reasons why writers drag their feet. I'm going to bookmark this post so I can find it the next time I am stuck.
This was very well timed for me. I'm struggling to move forward with my manuscript, but kept hitting a wall. I know what that wall is, now I have to push on through. Thanks for this.