So much good advice has fallen into tired phrases and cliches. We share proverbs and anecdotes with good intentions, yet they erode with overuse.
It’s something to ponder: You can hear the most profound wisdom, but unless you are disposed to truly receive it for what it is, you might … Read more
Black and white, up and down, yes and no, right or wrong.
Two choices. Binaries.
If you are driving and you come to a T in the road, either you go left or you go right. Unless you want to turn around, but let’s assume you want to go forward. … Read more
… Read moreEverybody in the world has the same conviction of inner importance, fire, of the god within. The tragedy is that either they stifle their fire by not believing in it and using it; or they try to prove to the world and themselves that they have it, not inwardly and
… Read moreIt is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we know, the more ignorant we become in the absolute sense, for it is only through enlightenment that we become conscious of our limitations. Precisely one of the most gratifying results of intellectual evolution is the continuous opening up of
In her 1938 book If You Want To Write, Brenda Ueland gives a beautiful description of what it takes to foster the imagination and support a productive writing practice. She describes two things that I have also found to be key components: stillness or “moodling” (for me meditation serves … Read more
Maybe you’re in the middle of a writing project — a book, a blog, a presentation — and you’re starting to feel boggy. Dragged down, uninspired.
Sometimes we get stuck because we have been looking at the situation the wrong way. Or we have run out of good ideas. Or … Read more
Certainly.
Yep. Yep, you can freewrite a whole book.
So there’s the answer.
But maybe you were hoping for something along the lines of “how can I freewrite my book?” or “can you show me what freewriting a book might look like?”
To which I answer:
Certainly.
Yep. Yep, I … Read more
Writing a book doesn’t have to be mega-super-crazy-killer impossible. It’s not an unachievable goal, especially if you break the writing process down into easy phases.
Part of my core life vision is to make it easier for people to actualize their writing goals. It is my strong belief that I … Read more
Unless you are writing for pure exploration, it’s generally important to have in mind a main idea.
However, a common misconception is that your main idea needs to be fixed and rigid, like a box. Only the things that fit inside the box can be put there. Everything else gets … Read more
It’s not even “writer’s block.” You just don’t care. Writing no longer fuels you.
Stacks of boring papers.
Stacks of boring books.
Boring letters on the screen.
Unclear writing.
Annoying mistakes.
Blank, dead mind. Zero drive.
Someone please come distract me.