The Breakdown: Writer-focused

You can be about the work, but I'm gonna be about you

Hey, Runners!

Last time you heard from me, we started dissecting the rotWIPs description as a “process-first, writer-focused, communitycore, guided writing challenge.”

We talked about process-first; let’s move on to writer-focused.

I can teach you how to write well; I have a whole damn book about how to tell a good story. But when I work with writers, I often find that what they need before we even get to that (although, trust me, we will) is to work on their personal mindset in their approach to their work.

Get some examples of mindset in this section of my introductory post.

Mindset work is more like therapy than writing, and it will feel like therapy. It will be hard. It will require everyone to show up as their genuine, vulnerable selves. It will require unpacking our fears, and it’s not like we do it for one week and we’re done. Mindset will be part of the process the whole way through.

Doing the mindset work will be hard and deeply challenging, but it’s kind of like getting a creative block inoculation. It won’t prevent creative block 100% of the time, but you’ll be less susceptible to it, because that block often comes from fears and emotional states that shut us down creatively.

Hey! Today is my birthday! Wish me a happy birthday in the comments below, and then share your favorite kind of birthday cake. Not everything has to be about writing!

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Although not always. Sometimes a creative block is just because of the doldrums, or pause, between acts. Sometimes it’s just that you’re tired, or that a part of the story isn’t figured out yet, so you need to return to Discovery¹.

But the point is this; the more you focus on doing your mindset work as a writer, the easier the writing will go.

Note; I’m not saying it will be easy. Just easier.

This shit is hard, no matter how you slice it.

Next time, we’re going to talk about “communitycore.”

1. Discovery is the first phase of writing. We’ll cover all of the phases later, to the point where you’ll be tired of hearing me talk about it.