Many times, I find myself stalling, pushing back, or even deliberately choosing alternatives to sitting down to write, even though it has brought me some of my happiest moments. Some call this a form of “writer’s block”, or they see it as procrastination. I like the term writing resistance myself as it is just that – an internal debate on whether I should write today or not.

Why am I resisting the call to be productive and creative? Why? There are dozens of reasons why, but when you consider it, writing is opening yourself up. It allows people to see your inner thoughts. You are also providing a window of opportunity to judge you and your work. That is an extremely vulnerable position. Resistance is, in many ways, a defense mechanism. Cleaning the stove, picking up the dry cleaning, or looking for that perfect spot to sip a coffee and people-watch is much easier and safer than putting your thoughts on paper for all to see and comment. The world and internet are full of trolls after all…

In my writing group that I host now on Tuesdays called Shut Up & Write (which is a national/international organization and has affiliate groups in almost every city and country around the globe – highly recommend attending one as it has truly given me a lot of great resources and tools to benefit my writing journey), we discussed our own forms of writing resistance.

This is a list of the examples they could attest to and that these have happened with their own writing experience:

Laziness

Insecurity 

Lack of focus

Perfectionism

Too many ideas at the same time

Didn’t value my work or its worthiness

Lack of computer skills

No accountability

Too many tasks/other responsibilities

No motivation

Imposter Syndrome

Burn out

No current inspiration

Bad time management

The Blank Page syndrome

Stress

Information overload/no direction to start

Looming Deadlines

Then we discussed possible solutions or tactics that might help you overcome these possible examples of resistance:

Smart Goals (short & obtainable)

Outlines – to me personally, this helps me defeat any Blank Page syndrome or Writer’s Block.

Change in venue

Small tasks

Genre reading

Writing ritual/routine

Internet-inhibiting Apps – these are apps designed to help prevent you to “going down the rabbit hole” on the internet vs writing or to get sidelined by social media platforms.

Project Planning/Defining

Big Idea Notebook

Turn off your Inner Critic! – freestyle writing is crucial during your first drafts.

Use writing place holders to move forward in the prose

Baby-step or sprint writing – I set a limit like 300 words per day (which usually gets me into writing mode and I write way past the limit).

Edit the previous chapter

Do something else but still be in creative mode – like ad design, marketing copy, or idea research

Research for your genre or idea

Read work out loud to yourself

Writing prompts – one of my personal favorites especially when I am in between projects (they can jumpstart  you!)

Writing resistance is a fierce temptation to give in to. Procrastination, research temptations, or simple internet scrolling can erode your productivity. Work up a writing routine or ritual. In other words, find and dedicate a  specific time and amount of time you want to work on your WIP (which is why the Shut Up & Write group works so well for me).

Like an actual muscle, unless you flex and use it, the writing muscle will not grow and strengthen if you don’t make it a priority. And if you go long enough, your writing muscle can atrophy! Developing good ways to sidestep your writing resistance can make or break your writing journey!

For further exploration and tips on Writing Resistance, check out an earlier post I did on tactics to avoid or reduce resistance. Repel The Resistance