Lamott’s advice is still about producing a draft, about writing something that will eventually become your finished piece. It’s output-focused: write badly now, edit later. Useful, yes. But what I’m suggesting for when you need a radical motivation boost is different. I’m talking about forgetting drafts altogether for the moment. No beginning, middle, or end. No sense of what this will become. Just pure exploration and play. Write with no destination in mind at all.
Author Archives: Dr Lizzy Tanguay
How to stay focused when every new idea feels too exciting to ignore
Curiosity almost cost me my PhD Every new article, every unexpected finding, every what if … felt too exciting to leave unexplored. I told myself this was what good researchers did – that following ideas wherever they led was part of the process. But really I was avoiding the hardest part: finishing. Towards the endContinue reading “How to stay focused when every new idea feels too exciting to ignore”
Transform deadlines into opportunities for creative triumph with a thinking aloud partner
Reframing writing deadlines with a thinking aloud partner
A ‘thinking aloud partner’ (or perhaps, a ‘thinking allowed partner’) inspired by Nancy Kline’s Time to Think and the work of Peter Elbow in Vernacular Eloquence, involves liberating assumptions and verbalising ideas.
Dealing with feedback: A practical approach for PhD students and researchers
this post is about the practical rather than the emotional labour involved in dealing with feedback on your research writing
Why am I not writing?
Monday morning: a client began our session with ‘I know you’re not my therapist, but…’.
That’s right. I am NOT a therapist and nor do I try to be. But sometimes we need to explore the reasons that the writing isn’t happening (maybe now is not the time to write). Or why the words are flowing but just not getting out the door (often the hardest part).
Writer’s block? Try this unblocking exercise
This unblocking exercise always leads to animated discussion and lots of brilliant suggestions whenever I’m working with classes of writers.
How can I start writing after a break?
Whether it’s after an illness, a planned holiday or an unexpected life event, we all have times when it can be hard to get writing again after a break.
Which kind of editor should I hire? (and should I get my friend to proofread my book?)
You’ll hear about lots of different types of editing for your self-published nonfiction book. Which type of editing do you need to outsource and are there any you do yourself?
Writer’s block? Or just too many book ideas you don’t know which one to choose?
What to do when you have too many book ideas
How do I write a winning book proposal? Essential elements to include in your nonfiction book proposal
(A partial summary/ review of How to Write a Book Proposal: The Insider’s Step-by-Step Guide to Proposals that Get You Published, by Jody Rein with Michael Larson). So, you have a great idea for a nonfiction book. You already have a substantial author platform. You’ve spent time building your author portfolio. You don’t mind thatContinue reading “How do I write a winning book proposal? Essential elements to include in your nonfiction book proposal”