creativity Archives

March 19, 2021 by Laura Resnick

Nink: Common Barriers Writers Face – and How to Overcome Them

This article by Joanne Grant is from the March 2021 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

I have worked with writers long enough to recognise that the key to success relies not only on skill and talent, but a strong self-belief and a mindset for growth. I have also noticed a number of common barriers that writers face that threaten to hold them back. In this article, I am going to focus on three of these barriers and offer some tips on how to identify them and overcome them.

Perfectionism
There is nothing wrong with an attention to detail when it comes to your writing. It shows care and professionalism, and your editor will thank you for it! However, perfectionism in its most extreme form is toxic, inhibiting, and can not only hold you back, but sap potential joy from your writing too.

When perfectionism becomes problematic
You may describe yourself as a perfectionist because you always try your best, or are striving to improve—these are pursuits to be encouraged. It becomes problematic when you’re torturing yourself with another proofread, or editing to such a degree that you can’t move forward and it becomes detrimental to you and/or your work.

At its worst, perfectionism can prevent work from being finished, but for the published perfectionist, it doles out a punishment of a different type.

If you’re always striving for perfection, feedback wounds deeply, and there is a nagging feeling that you could’ve done better. But no book will ever be “perfect” because nothing created is beyond criticism. As a result, these writers never feel satisfied with their achievements as they strive for the impossible: perfection.

Overcoming perfectionism
If you can relate to this, then don’t worry—you can make steps to wean yourself off this unhealthy habit whilst maintaining quality, because the likelihood is your perfectionist tendencies are contributing little, or any value to your work.

Step 1: Ask yourself, what is the worst thing that could happen if you were to dial back on your perfectionism a notch? Be honest about it.

Step 2: Commit to dialling back your perfectionism a step or two. For example, if you habitually proof your manuscript five times before submitting to your editor, reduce it to three times.

Step 3: Sit back and analyse the results of your experiment through the lens of your worst-case scenario. Has your editor actually sacked you because you only proofed your manuscript three times? No, didn’t think so!

Recognise that perfectionism can slow you down, cause you pain, and the amount of time you’re putting in is likely disproportionate to the outcome.

As with anything, the more you practise reducing your perfectionist tendencies, the easier and more natural it will become.

Inner critic

Whether you call it your inner critic, your inner editor or something else, that voice that crops up when you’re writing and makes you doubt yourself can be a real barrier to creativity. But how can you tell the difference between your own voice and the inner critic?

Identifying the inner critic
The inner critic is sneaky. It often sounds like your own voice, but it can sometimes take on the tone of someone you know such as a teacher, parent or editor. This can make it easier to identify. Either way, the inner critic is usually negative or downright mean, with its agitated or worried tone. It speaks in definite terms that welcome no discussion; there are no shades of grey and things are either good or bad.

Underneath it all, your inner critic is trying to keep you safe by holding you back from something you are fearful of. It taps into that fear, exploits it, and sadly, if you believe these negative statements, can become self-fulfilling.

The good news is once you’ve recognised your inner critic, you can tackle it!

Overcoming your inner critic
The key thing to remember about your inner critic is that it offers opinions, not facts. If you question these opinions, you’ll discover there is little or no evidence for them. Next time your inner critic shows up, try this exercise.

Step 1: Distance yourself from the inner critic by referring to it as “you” rather than “I.” For example, change:

“I’m the worst writer in the world!” to “You think I’m the worst writer in the world.”

Naming your inner critic can further help create this distance.

Step 2: Address your inner critic calmly by thanking them for their opinion, then ask them politely to leave. They’re less likely to argue back if you take this approach.

Step 3: Replace the negative statement with one that is more balanced, rational and realistic:

“I may not be the best writer in the world, but I can work to improve!”

Once you start to recognise the inner critic at work, you can unravel these negative statements by questioning the truth of them and replacing them with a realistic, proactive thought to keep you moving forward, rather than holding you back.

Comparison
Have you ever seen a post, blog or tweet from a writer sharing how quickly they’ve finished their first draft, or they’ve just landed (what seems like) another book deal and it’s made you feel bad? I don’t mean a pang of jealousy, that you soon forget, I’m talking about a reaction that lingers and negatively affects you and your writing.

Maybe it triggers your inner critic on all the reasons why you’ll never be like those other writers. Or the green-eyed monster is in full flow commenting that some writers get all the luck.

Whatever the reaction, it sucks away your motivation, confidence and creativity. You know logically there is no malicious intent directed at you, and that what is posted on social media isn’t always the truth or the full picture, but the damage is done all the same.

So, what can you do to address this?

Overcoming the comparison trap
You now have some tips to quieten down the inner critic, but if this is something that really affects you, next time something sets you off, try this exercise.

Step 1: Ask yourself, why does it make me feel this way, what is really going on? This may be uncomfortable because you’re taking the focus internally, rather than blaming your feelings externally on the post or the person, for the way you feel.

Step 2: Take whatever it is at the root of what affects you and decide what you can do about it.

For example, if those posts about high word counts make you feel inferior before you’ve even started writing for the day, then explore ways to increase your productivity. Avoid social media first thing and set your own realistic goals for success.

Step 3: You’ve identified what it is you can do, now make it happen! Put a plan in place to achieve your goals so next time you see a post about word counts, you can think: “That’s great—they’re hitting their word count goals and so am I!” Goodbye inner critic and green-eyed monster!

❄︎

The truth is, what underlies these common barriers is fear and self-doubt.

Recognising how they show up in your writing is the first step to learning how to overcome them followed by putting into practise techniques to help.

The other big truth here is: often the biggest thing holding you back is yourself. Lean in to your fear and choose to do something about it in a proactive, meaningful way because you can take back control of your writing journey.

________________________

Joanne Grant is an Editorial Coach with over 16 years of expertise working for the global publisher Harlequin. Joanne has edited hundreds of romance novels over the years and understands how to coach authors of all genres to deliver their best work. If you’re interested in finding out how she can help you achieve your writing goals, get in touch – Joanne loves to chat! For inspiration, tips and offers why not sign up to her newsletter, join her Facebook group Motivation for Writers! or connect on Twitter @JoanneMGrant.

March 5, 2021 by Laura Resnick

Nink: From Cancer To COVID – 12 Tips for Surviving and Thriving at Writing While Stuck at Home

This article by Gigi Pandian is from the March 2021 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

When COVID began to spread in early 2020, we were all shaken by our distressing new reality. For most of us, lockdown was a new experience to navigate. For me, I’d gone through something similar a decade ago, so I had a jump-start on figuring out how to keep writing, both emotionally (writing through incredibly stressful circumstances) and physically (writing at home in a small house I share with my husband).

Nearly 10 years ago, when I was just beginning my writing career, I was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer. I was 36, with no family history of the disease. Needless to say, I was not prepared for this news, nor the year of cancer treatments that would follow and knock out my immune system. I was forced to stay home, isolated from the world, for much of the year.

A dramatic life event, like cancer or COVID, can help put priorities in perspective. I knew I needed to focus on my health and my loved ones, and also my dream of being a writer. But how?

Before cancer, I was not someone who could write at home. By trial and error, I learned many things that year that have served me well in this year of COVID.

Below are a dozen tips that helped me successfully complete a novel during my year of isolated illness during cancer treatments and write two novels during lockdown—while keeping my day job. That cancer-year novel was the one that propelled my career to the next level, and one of this year’s novels sold at auction, which was a first for me.

1. Stay offline. Install an app on your computer that saves you from yourself by turning off the internet. I don’t know about you, but I cannot be trusted to do this myself. I think I’ll look something up for book research or to check the news “for just a minute.” It inevitably turns into 30 minutes—or longer. To save me from myself, I use an app that turns off the internet for a specified amount of time, such as a 45-minute work block, or even for the whole morning. If I forget and try to view a browser, my app shows me an inspirational quote instead, such as A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. (I use Focus on a Mac, and many writers I know enjoy Freedom. There are others too.)

2. Put your phone in the other room. This was difficult for me at first. Very difficult. But I promise the world will not end if you don’t look at your phone for an hour.* Especially if you have any notifications that will pop up and distract you, leave your phone in the other room, or at the very least far enough away you cannot reach it from your chair. (*If you really do have a reason you need your phone, such as awaiting a call from a doctor or elderly parents, change your settings so your phone will ring for preset priority callers even if your sound is off for everything else.)

3. Create your own background noise. Listen to café sounds, rain sounds, or instrumental music. While experiencing stressful circumstances, it’s especially easy to get distracted by small noises around you. It helps if you control the noise. iTunes and other apps have background sounds of all kinds, including café sounds (I found one that reminds me of my favorite café where I used to write). Some days you might feel like visiting a café, and other days a rainstorm will do the trick. Thunder on the speakers can give your creative brain a boost, whereas hearing the laundry cycle stop will throw you out of the story. Maybe you like classical music or some other type of music that serves as relaxing background music.

4. Join an online writing meet-up. It’s amazing how much you can get done in 30 minutes to an hour, and it’s so much easier to get started if you know there are online friends waiting for you. There are a lot of public write-ins organized online, many through writing organizations, or you can form one yourself with writer friends at a time that works well for you. My favorite is one I organized with a few writer friends because we agree to chat about life for 15 minutes before we start writing. It’s a good balance of having support for the stresses of life and being productive.

5. Find an accountability partner. Beyond online meet-ups, tell someone your goals. It’s much easier to keep them if you’ve said them aloud to someone else. See if you can find a writer friend to check in weekly to report back to each other about your progress. Or perhaps you want to tell your spouse or post your goal publicly on social media.

6. Try a writing prompt. A writing prompt can help your fingers start moving when you don’t know what to write next, or when you can’t still your mind from the real world around you. A prompt can be something like “take away one of your main character’s senses” or “an unexpected package arrives on the doorstep.” You don’t have to come up with them yourself; there are many online resources and books. You can experiment with what type of prompt works for you.

7. Pick up a paper notebook. The brain works differently on paper than on a computer, so if the words aren’t flowing on screen, try putting a pen to paper. If you’re having trouble writing the first word on that blank notebook page, because the stressors of the world around you are vying for attention, my personal trick is to write the word “perhaps.” That way, your brain knows this doesn’t have to be the way the story goes, but “perhaps” this happens. On paper, you might be able to write wild ideas that you were too afraid to write as “real” words on the computer.

8. Go outside. Step into your backyard or balcony. Sitting inside next to a window isn’t the same as fresh air, so take that paper notebook outside. Even when you can’t go far, a little bit of fresh air does wonders. When I was going through cancer treatments, I didn’t always have the energy to go far, but even looking up at the trees (in my small, semi-urban backyard) did wonders for my mental state.

9. Shift your view inside the house. This is for those of you who don’t have a dedicated writing room. I have a desk in a room that needs to serve multiple purposes. I sit at one side for non-creative work, then switch to the other side of the desk, with a different view out the window, for my writing. The small physical change can lead to a big mental shift.

10. Take a break to move your body. Yes, this tip is obvious, and I know you already know this. But as writers, all too often we forget this, so I’m including it here. It doesn’t have to be exercise. Stretching for a few minutes counts too. However, simply refilling your coffee mug doesn’t!

11. Ritual. Find something that signals your brain you’re writing fiction now. My ritual is that I plug a typewriter keyboard into my laptop when I’m going to write fiction. The clacking of the keys tells my brain it’s time to be creative. Maybe you light a candle with a particular scent, or drink coffee from a special mug with an inspirational quote. Whatever it is, give yourself that signal that it’s time to push aside the real world for a dedicated amount of time, however small. This is your writing time.

12. Go easy on yourself if you’ve had a bad day. This is the most important tip. Even with all of the lessons I learned in 2011 and 2020, I’ve had some lost days. A lot of them. I didn’t stick to the beautiful schedule I planned in my calendar, but I still got new books written that I’m proud of. Now it’s time for me to get back to work on the next one.

________________________

Gigi Pandian is a USA Today best-selling and Anthony Award-winning mystery author, breast cancer survivor, and accidental almost-vegan. She writes lighthearted mysteries a cross between Indiana Jones and Agatha Christie. Stay in touch via her monthly email newsletter and find her on Instagram @GigiPandian.

November 5, 2020 by Laura Resnick

Nink: You’re Not Broken ~ Be Your Own Writing Champion

This article, written by Denise Agnew is from the November 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

Writing challenges can convince you that you’re broken. The excitement you once enjoyed creating stories feels as if it has vanished. Since Covid-19 arrived at our doors, many authors have been looking for ways to cope.

If your creativity has diminished or completely disappeared, you may think it will never come back. Take heart. Writer challenges are rarely permanent if an author explores what is happening with their particular situation.

It is easy, when you’re not feeling well and negative thoughts are threatening to keep you down in the dumps and uncreative, to throw your hands up and surrender. It is tempting to wallow and decide it’s just the way it is. Most of us have done this at one time or another, and we don’t always realize that the messages we tell ourselves are half the problem.

My challenge for you is to dig deep and to not buckle under to despair.

Discover what’s really going on

Writing challenges are different for everyone, but there are things you can consider and questions you can ask to discover the origins behind your particular situation.

Overcommitment/setting boundaries

Make a list of commitments you have in your life and see if you are shoving aside your writing in favor of doing everything else first. If you discover you’re overloading your plate, make a list of what you might trim or eliminate in order to make more time for creativity. Your sanity is worth it.
Are you volunteering in organizations you no longer enjoy? This is a tough one. Often people feel that if they’ve committed to volunteer in an organization, that they have to stick with it no matter what. I have personal experience with joining an organization and sticking with it way after the luster and enjoyment was no longer there. In 2019, I significantly scaled back my commitment when I realized I no longer enjoyed the group the way I had for the last 10 years. It freed a lot of time.
Do you feel guilty carving out writing time? Many people are family first, everything else comes second. While this can seem virtuous, there are pitfalls. You’ve heard the old saying that says if momma isn’t happy, no one is. I guarantee if you are dying to write, but have abandoned it because other people are demanding every second of your time, any subsequent dissatisfaction and depression will manifest itself in negative ways. You may give up on your writing dreams. Ask yourself if you are training other people to expect certain things of you. If you don’t carve out writing time, no one else is going to give it to you. Boundaries are important. Are your children remote schooling at home and your spouse also working at home? Are you working another full-time job at home and also trying to shoehorn in writing? If any or all of those things are in force for you right now, you may need to set new boundaries with those around you. If others don’t know that writing is still important to you, they may either encroach on your writing time either by accident or design. Decide now that your writing is important and put it on your schedule. Even if you don’t have as much room to write as you did before, dedicated space on your schedule can keep creativity alive.

Lean out of your comfort zone

Are you afraid to create in a different genre or approach your genre at a “riskier” angle? Have you told yourself it might reveal something about you that feels shameful or that other people won’t like? What are you not saying in your writing that you want to say?
Own your writing. Writers want to please the reader. Sometimes, though, writers forget that in order to be happy as writers, we have to enjoy what we do the majority of the time. If others disapprove, we have to find it within ourselves not to give their approval weight. Many writers have externalized their writing so much that everything on the outside dictates whether they are creative or not. Eventually this will backfire and the creativity dries up. Be your own champion. That means please yourself first when you write and everyone else second.

Carve out some peace

Are you worried about the state of the world? There is no doubt there are worldwide concerns overtaking space in most of our heads. Now is the time to realize that you can’t spend 100 percent of your day allowing those subjects to overwhelm, depress, and deprive you of your creativity. Feeling guilty if you aren’t thinking about writing 100 percent of the day doesn’t serve your creativity or your mental health. Find some time to switch off that outside world and refresh your body and mind creating.

Stay open to new perspectives

Our egos can get in the way. We become jaded and even sometimes proud of our cynicism. What this can do, though, is lead us to see our world in narrow parameters. We think we’ve seen it all and therefore we can’t learn anything new. Unwillingness to stretch our minds into new genres, or new ways to refresh our current genre can lead to creativity disappearing.
Be willing to listen to new craft techniques and ideas if your creativity is waning or drying up. Consider if a technique might work, and try it. If it doesn’t work for you, all is not lost. Chuck it and move on to the next.
On the opposite side, avoid using craft classes as an excuse to never write anything. There are many writers who have spent years taking craft courses and never finished a single manuscript. Recognize when it is time to put those courses to the test by writing and finishing something.
Write what you don’t know. One way to branch out in creativity is to decide it is okay to write what you don’t know and research it. If you’ve always wanted to write about a subject or situation you haven’t experienced, go for it. There’s nothing stopping you but the willingness to stay open. Being curious and researching can energize your creativity and excitement for a project.

Recognize your own power

You’ve got great ideas. Somewhere along the way, though, you may have convinced yourself you don’t. For some people, this stems from long-held self-esteem issues. If you think self-esteem issues are getting in the way of your creativity, it might be time to discuss them with a mental health professional who can help you navigate those waters.
You’re not alone. Too often writers believe that everyone is creating like gangbusters but they aren’t. Take heart. Most writers who’ve been in this business a long time have encountered bumps along the way. Recognize that writer’s block doesn’t form because you’re a bad writer. Many famous authors have complained about writing difficulties over the course of their careers. You’re in great company.

________________________

Denise A. Agnew is the award-winning author and screenwriter of over 69 novels and several optioned screenplays and television series. She’s written in a variety of genres including horror, romance and historical. Over the years she’s also enjoyed participating in archaeology and archery. Reading is a huge love! She was fortunate enough to live in England and Hawaii and travel throughout the UK and Ireland. Denise is also a producer, paranormal investigator, Certified Creativity Coach, Reiki Master, and evidential medium. She lives in Arizona with her husband and a mini schnauzer. You can find her at www.deniseagnew.com and www.agnewcreativemedium.com.

October 20, 2020 by Laura Resnick

Nink: More Ways to Stay Creative

This article, written by Denise Agnew is from the October 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

Even as a creativity coach, I can have days where I’m not feeling as creative as I would like. This led me to think of other ways I could boost my creativity. Based on what I discovered, I’ve listed more ways you can boost your creativity quotient.

Open up to random thoughts
Writers can sometimes unknowingly stifle their creativity. Remember when you were a kid and someone told you to stop daydreaming? You may be doing something similar to yourself and not realizing it. What if paying closer attention to your random thoughts and fantasies could generate fresh ideas?

We’ve all heard that we have a ton of thoughts pass through our minds each day, much of it useless chatter. As published authors, we often judge both the quality of our ideas and the validity of them. However, as creative people, our imaginations are an integral part of our ability to create story. Many writers who work on building book series have told me they sometimes feel as if they’re on an assembly line churning out the same ole same ole. This adherence to “expected” series parameters can be draining and can strangle creativity. Instead of allowing your imagination to go where it wants, you’re forcing it to go where you think it is supposed to go.

Granted, you can’t stop and write down every single thought or fantasy you have in your head, and you can’t necessarily take your series from the Wild West to outer space (well, maybe you can), but you can harness as many ideas as possible. Are there any story ideas you are dying to write but you’re ignoring them? Do you think the ideas are too far out of the lane you’ve been following for years? Consider how you can write more of what you long to write rather than constantly shoving down your creative desires.

Write down any wild thoughts that come into your head, even if they don’t seem to equate to an actual plot or story line at this time and even if they are completely nonsensical. If you remember your dreams, write them down as well. You never know where these ideas will lead in the future.

Imagine you’re somewhere else
Because of the pandemic, many writers haven’t been on vacation, much less left the house. So let your mind take you.

Find a quiet time where you won’t be disturbed. Put on soothing music. Close your eyes and imagine, in as much detail as possible, a place you long to be. This can be a place you’ve been to before or a new place you would like to visit.

If you want, write down as many details about that vacation fantasy as you can. Go hog wild and enjoy yourself. Why not? Not only is it fun, but you might even get an idea for a story in the process.

Watch more movies and television series
Many people proudly announce that they don’t watch television series or movies. Watching television rots your brain, right? While anything taken to an extreme could have a negative effect, TV and movies can give your brain a mental break. You can also use this time to analyze why you like or don’t like some movies and television programs. This can provide perspective into your own creativity and spark new ideas.

Start with the genre you write. Watch a few movies in that genre. How would you have written the story? If there’s a movie or television series you love, why do you love it? Be completely honest with yourself why you like it (or how you would have done it better). You aren’t showing your innermost thoughts to anyone else. Thinking about why you like or don’t like something can move your creative thinking in a new direction.

In this way, watching a movie or television series is like reading someone else’s book and recognizing why you enjoyed the book or would’ve written it differently. This perspective change can jumpstart the creative part of your brain.

Read screenplays and write screenplays
Writing a screenplay is, in many ways, completely different than writing a novel; it forces you to create differently. When writing a screenplay, a writer relies far more on dialogue and very little on description. It gives your brain a creative workout. How are you going to say, in the dialogue, what you may have left up to description alone?

When I decided to begin writing screenplays, I first read a few to obtain both an understanding of formatting and to get a general feel of how screenplays sound. (Beware, though. Screenwriting formatting has changed over the years, so modern screenplays have some different rules than screenplays written even a decade ago.) Reading and writing screenplays opens your mind to a different way of experiencing storytelling.

Make memes/graphics
Is there something you want to say? Making a meme in a program such as Canva or Book Brush can be a great way to enhance your social media presence and express yourself creatively. Making graphics requires both visuals and the words you want to say. If I want to take a break from writing, I often make a meme or a graphic for one of my published or soon-to-be-published books or some other random thing I want to express. It’s refreshing. After I’ve made a graphic, I am ready to start writing again.

Do nothing for fifteen minutes
I know what you’re going to say. “Denise, I have a busy life and don’t have 15 minutes to spare.” To that I would say, “Are you sure?”

While sitting in relative quiet outside among nature or inside with some soothing music or even no sound can make some people feel twitchy, it’s about balance. As an experiment, to see if it works for you, try doing absolutely nothing for 15 minutes a day for a least three days and see how you feel. The 15 minutes does not need to be formal meditation. Write down how you felt and if you received any creative ideas during that time. My guess is you will not only get ideas, you might feel physically and mentally refreshed because you’re not pushing so hard all the time.

Connect (even just virtually) with others
This pandemic has kept many of us inside, including missing NINC. Is there a dear friend, writer or not, who you used to sit down with in person and hash over creative issues? If you haven’t talked to them in ages, give them a call or set up a Skype or visual chat session. They’ll love it, you will too, and the creative ideas you generate could be some of the best you’ve ever designed.

________________________

August 20, 2020 by Laura Resnick

Nink: Journaling & Creating A Benevolent Self

This article, written by Denise Agnew is from the August 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

Being a creative person, you may have found that the pandemic has enhanced negative self-talk or perhaps created issues with completing deadlines or writing at all. We can forgive ourselves for feeling rocky when our world is downright crazy.

That being said, creative people tend to be hard on themselves all the time. We dredge up perceived faults we have against our creative abilities one after the other and beat ourselves bloody.

What if you could call on a benevolent and confident self (call it future self if you like) to get you through any negative self-talk? What if you could journal your way from negative thinking that tanks your creativity toward an encouraging and confident self that uplifts your creativity?

If you’ve journaled before, take a quick peek at it. Did you fill it with a plethora of negative highlights, such as what didn’t go right, your judgements and grievances with yourself and others? Journaling like this might relieve the pressure, and in many cases it can free up your creativity. In Julia Cameron’s Artist’s Way, she encourages writers to start their morning with stream of consciousness writing. The idea is to get down all of your gunk, good or otherwise and without censoring or holding back. Many writers have gained perspective and benefit from this technique. The process of letting it all out can open our eyes.

For some writers, journaling what isn’t working for them is enough. Often the barriers we place on our writing abilities come from childhood experiences or other situations through life where something went wrong. Getting it out helps, as we assume that the same type of negative thing will occur again and sometimes it does, but we can be better prepared.

However, beyond that is our own internal thought process where, if we focus on the negatives, we often then only see the negatives in our writing, and we repeat negative patterns and belief systems in an endless cycle. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. We say we can’t. So we don’t.

To reverse this, we should step into our power and create a benevolent self that can flip the negative thinking. One way to do this is journaling.

If you don’t already have a journal, now is the time to grab one specific for this assignment. Don’t reuse one. Go find one that appeals to you in color/fabric/material and paper. Use a favorite pen or buy a new one to use just for this journal. This can pump up your enthusiasm to stick with it.

Journal Prompts

Below are journal prompts designed to open your mind to new creative possibilities. Take as much time and pages needed to thoroughly explore each of these possibilities and questions.

What negative things do you tell yourself most frequently about your writing abilities? This can apply to other things that have nothing to do with writing, but for the purposes of clarity, let’s stick with writing for the moment.
Are there similarities between each negative thing?
Where and when did you get these ideas about your writing abilities? Don’t be shy. Lay it all out here. You may not have taken much time to think about these things before, so don’t be surprised if it takes a while to pinpoint them.
What are the patterns you see between each? Are they things someone else told you about your writing or things you assumed entirely on your own?

Clearing Things Up

Now that you have some idea of the negative beliefs about your writing that bother you, let’s work on the one that bothers you the most. Of the negative things you’ve listed, is there one that sticks out to you as the most painful? Highlight that. Then you will ask, is it actually true? How do you know it isn’t true? Would you say this to a close friend?

Now that you’ve highlighted the one negative, let’s analyze the truth of it. Let’s work through the process using this example: I can’t write at all.

With the highlighted negative thing you’ve told yourself, answer the following question:

Is it actually true?

No it isn’t true that I can’t write.

How do you know it isn’t true?

Because I have written and published 10 books.

(Don’t start ruminating on how many reviews you don’t have or how much money you aren’t making right now. Neither of these things is a reflection on the quality of your writing.)

Would you say these things to a close friend?

No, I wouldn’t. In fact, I think it is horrible to say to my friend that she can’t write, because it isn’t true. I’d be angry at anyone for saying this to my friend.

When it is apparent that your negative belief is most likely not true and why, it can help you attack each negative belief you have with regard to your creativity.

Go back through each negative you wrote and ask/answer the questions for each one. Is it actually true? How do you know it isn’t true? Would you say these things to a friend?

Discover Your Benevolent Self

Now there is one more step to take, which is to take the negative things that bothered you and shift this thinking. What would a benevolent, loving self say to you? Basically, turn that negative into a positive.

Example: I can’t write at all.

Benevolent self: I am a talented writer with many stories to tell. I’m particularly good at telling XYZ type of stories.

Example: I can’t write historical fiction because it is hard to write and I was never any good at research.

Benevolent self: I love reading historical non-fiction. It fascinates me. Knowing that, I’d find reading research on the time period I want to write extremely interesting. I can research the time period(s) and facts I find intriguing with ease.

If you have difficulty getting to an uplifting statement, go for a middle ground that is neutral such as, “I enjoy writing stories. XYZ stories intrigue me the most.” This neutral ground points out to you that you enjoy writing and what you want to write, which is more encouraging and not a negative.

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Denise A. Agnew is the award-winning author of over 69 novels and screenplays. Denise’s novels Love from The Ashes and Blackout were optioned for film/TV by Where’s Lucy? Productions, Bright Frontier Films and MDR Entertainment. Denise is a Writer/Producer (Where’s Lucy? Productions, Happy Catastrophe Productions, Bright Frontier Films), a paranormal investigator, Reiki Master, and Certified Creativity Coach. As a creativity coach, Denise assists anyone in the creative arts to maintain lifelong creativity. You can find her at www.deniseagnew.com and www.creativepencoaching.com.

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