During November, we're going to be looking at procrastination and resistance in the weekly newsletter articles. If you ever miss one, or want to catch up on past issues, you can find the full archive at:
What's stopping you from writing?
For many writers, resistance is the
thing getting in the way.
Even if you've never come across the term "resistance" in this context before, you've probably felt it.
- It's the force that makes "getting started" feel like a superhuman effort.
- It's what causes you to do the dishes and clean your desk and hoover the floors instead of writing.
- It's that fear that you're wasting your time anyway.
- It's the voice telling you that writing is
self-indulgent.
- It's the sense that you need to wait for just the right moment to begin.
If any of that sounds familiar: congratulations, you're completely normal. ;-)
All writers struggle against resistance. (And, of course, it's not unique to writers. Any sort of work, especially creative work, can generate resistance.)
Once you've recognised resistance for what it is, it's not too hard to
beat it. Acknowledge what's happening -- "I'm coming up against resistance here" -- and then get started writing anyway. Nine times out of ten, that resistence -- however strong it felt -- will have melted away within a few minutes.
(If you're really still struggling against resistance after ten minutes or so, then take a step back from your work. Maybe you're hungry, or exhausted, or writing something that doesn't excite you at
all.)
While resistance can be uncomfortable to go through, one way to turn it into a more positive experience is to view it as a sign pointing you to the important thing that you should be doing. The very fact that you're feeling resistance is a sign that your writing is an important, meaningful part of your life.
Recognising and Overcoming Resistance
The tough thing about resistance is
that it can disguise itself in all sorts of ways. Here are just a few:
"I don't know enough to write that story" -- this can be a form of resistance that ties you up in research and in taking courses and classes, and buying books, and reading blogs and magazines ... because all of that is easier than actually writing.
"I'm too busy to write" -- maybe you are really busy,
but I bet you could find an hour a week to write (even if it means ditching something, lowering your standards in a particular area, or asking for some help).
"I don't have the energy at the end of a long day" -- I completely sympathise with this one, because I'm not an evening person at the best of times! If writing after work / after the kids are in bed doesn't work for you, could you write at the start of the day instead? (Also, I've
found that even if I'm feeling tired out, I often feel more energised once I start writing.)
Next time you come up against writing resistance, whatever form it takes in your life, face it. Label it: "Oh, this is resistance. This is what Ali was talking about in the newsletter." Then go right ahead and ignore it. Start writing (however much resistance is screaming at you not to) ... and see what happens. :-)
(If you want to read
more about the concept of resistance as it relates to creative work, check out The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.)
Next week, we'll be looking at how to fit writing into a busy schedule.
