Writers First Aid

In Your “Write” Mind

July 7, 2010

writer4 Do you think about what you’re thinking about?

You should!

Controlling Toxic Thoughts

I’ve been reading a lot lately about current brain research and the huge impact our thoughts have on our creativity, our health, and how we use our gifts. I highly recommend a couple of fascinating books by Dr. Caroline Leaf called Who Switched Off My Brain? (Controlling Toxic Thoughts and Emotions) and The Gift in You (Thomas Nelson Publishers). I couldn’t put either one down.

But Then What?

Let’s say you’re already convinced that your thoughts are critically important. Perhaps you’ve believed for a long time that as a man thinks, so does he become. Maybe you’ve even noticed that you think some pretty rotten and discouraging thoughts from time to time!

Is it enough to just stop thinking those negative thoughts? I don’t know-but I doubt that it’s possible. Even if it were, a totally blank mind isn’t much help to a writer.

Truth Wins Out

Studies have shown that you need to replace the negative thoughts with positive ones, but it does no good to lie to yourself. You could stop telling yourself, “I’m such a rotten writer” and start saying instead, “I’m the best writer in the country!” But you’d know inside that (a) it’s not true, and (b) you don’t believe it. It wouldn’t change anything.

The goal is not to replace a wrong thought with a silly or happy thought. You replace them with affirmative, true, real thoughts.

And that’s where Eric Maisel’s Write Mind comes in. [The subtitle is 299 Things Writers Should Never Say to Themselves (and What They Should Say Instead).] As he asserts, “You want to write more often and more deeply… To meet these goals, you must improve how you communicate with yourself.”

Some of his “right mind/write mind” ideas are humorous, but there’s a lot of truth in them too. “My hope is that you can learn to think right,” Maisel says. “I hope you can learn to say, ‘I wrote an awful first novel and now I’m starting on my second novel’ instead of, ‘I wrote an awful first novel and that proves I’m an idiot.’”

Listen to Yourself

When you’re struggling to write or deal with disappointing writing news, what kinds of things do you say to yourself? Is there something else you could tell yourself that would lift you up instead of push you deeper into a depression? For starters, let me give you a few of Maisel’s 299 suggestions. I hope you will then either buy his little book or make your own personalized list.

Wrong Mind: “I need what I am writing to be loved.”
Right Mind: “I need what I am writing to be strong.”
Wrong Mind: “Somebody has the answer and if I take enough writing workshops I am sure to happen upon the answer.”
Right Mind: “I learn to write by writing and I learn to market by marketing.”
Wrong Mind: “I can’t describe things.”
Right Mind: “I should practice describing things.”
Wrong Mind: “I haven’t written for six months. That must mean that I will never write again.”
Right Mind: “I am very ready to write after six months of not writing.”

How’s YOUR Mind Today?

Learn to distinguish your right thinking from your wrong-injurious thinking. You can be your own worst enemy here-or your own best friend. It’s your choice.

If you’re feeling very brave, leave a comment below with one of your “wrong mind” statements and then a better “right mind” statement you intend to tell yourself from now on!

Post tags: creativity, depression, dreams, emotional balance, encouragement, focus, goals, habits, healing, health, psychology of writing, strategy

Posted in: attitudes,emotional balance,encouragement,focusing,goals,habits,healing,writing anxiety,writing challenges,writing output | | Comments (23)

23 Comments »

I’m afraid of failing, so I won’t write at all.

Everyone had to start somewhere, even writing a little badly is better than not writing anything at all.

Comment by Maria K — July 7, 2010 @ 8:03 am
Maria, that’s one of the best things you could tell yourself! Writing a little IS better. And even after being published, you have tell yourself that “everyone hits bumps in the road” and “every writer has ‘off’ years.” If you keep writing and practicing, you WILL get better. If you don’t write, you won’t! Even writing for ten minutes is a lot better than not writing at all.

Thanks for sharing. It’s hard sometimes to be so transparent.

Comment by Kristi Holl — July 7, 2010 @ 12:00 pm
Oh, that last one, the “I haven’t written in so long and so I’ll never write again,” that’s me all over lately!

Another one that keeps me from STARTING writing again is: “I have nothing new and unique that needs to be said, it’s all been said before, I’m an American white straight middle-class female bookworm and so everyone says My Story has been told often enough already.” This is what I get for reading so many blogs about what people want more of in books. But the answer, which I still need to get myself to trust in, is “There is only ONE ME, and I am the only one who has had MY EXACT experiences and thoughts, and the only person who can tell MY stories is ME! Look, you can’t grow up feeling like a complete oddball only to discover that you’re BORING after all– there’s got to be something there!”

And of course there’s also, “I can’t allow myself writing time unless I know I will get paid immediately for it, because otherwise I am wasting my precious time already.” The answer is “WHAT ARE YOU DOING LEAVING COMMENTS ON BLOGS with your time?!?!” but that really isn’t a RIGHT mind thought either. Better is: “You can set aside a little time to write that is JUST FOR YOURSELF, and it will be good for you spiritually and make you feel more productive all around!”

Comment by rockinlibrarian — July 7, 2010 @ 1:26 pm
Rockinlibrarian, after reading your response, I had to check out your blog. The one about “I Don’t Write Subject Lines for Fun Either” hit me right between the eyes. You and I could be twins, except I’m too old and I taught elementary school instead of being a librarian. (I would have preferred librarian.)

There needs to be a course to take purely on “how to keep the fun in writing.” That mind-set does creep in! All writing/blogging/blog reading/blog commenting/fiction reading must HAVE A PURPOSE that eventually leads to making money! Argh!

Well, if it helps to know, you’re definitely NOT boring! You’re a thinker, and I love thinkers. You’d love THE GIFT IN YOU mentioned above. Shows how in the brain you really ARE one of a kind, totally unique. Loved your sense of humor–we all need more of that these days!

Comment by Kristi Holl — July 7, 2010 @ 3:00 pm
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong Mind: When writing or planning a fiction book, I am terrible at plotting, which keeps me from finishing the book or outline.

Right Mind: I can learn to plot by doing it and then making changes if needed. I don’t need to dismiss plotting ideas as bad before I even try them out on paper.

Comment by Bonnie — July 7, 2010 @ 3:12 pm
Bonnie, that’s a great correction statement! So often we shoot down our ideas before we even try them out! Telling ourselves we are “terrible” at anything makes us want to give up. We know better than to talk to our friends or our children this way–but not ourselves! Good points here.

Comment by Kristi Holl — July 7, 2010 @ 4:02 pm
Wrong: Why bother starting another book when you’ve not polished the other ones?

Right: Maybe this is the one that is worth polishing.

Right: Start another book because that’s the only way to discover the story.

Comment by Vijaya — July 7, 2010 @ 4:51 pm
Vijaya, see at the bottom.

Comment by Kristi Holl — July 7, 2010 @ 4:53 pm
“I will never measure up to the authors so that I admire so much. What’s the point of even trying?”

“The only person I need to compare myself to is ME. If I am growing as a writer, that’s what counts most.”

Thanks for the book recommendation, Kristi…sounds like something I should check out. Lately I’ve been letting myself get in a negative mindset waaaay too often. Time for some positive thoughts.

Comment by Emily — July 7, 2010 @ 4:54 pm
Emily, I’m glad you’re willing to tackle your mindset. Writers–and any creative people–have to win at the head game! Comparing ourselves to others is deadly–I catch myself doing it too, especially in book stores and libraries. Competing with ourselves to grow is a much better idea!

Comment by Kristi Holl — July 7, 2010 @ 5:26 pm
This has been the latest one for me:
Wrong: I only have 15 minutes.
Right: Oh, goodie! I have 15 minutes.

Strange how I went from being a 15-min-a-day writer to a couple-of-hours-a-day writer and feel that I can get nothing accomplished in 15 min. Truth is, I still work on shorts and this is plenty of time to revise a scene, write a query, etc. And plenty of time just to write in my notebook — you know, for no reason, except to put words down on paper. For my novel, though, I find I need extended periods of quiet.

Comment by Vijaya — July 7, 2010 @ 7:50 pm
Vijaya, thanks for all three “write mind” responses. Arguing with ourselves over which project to work on–or whether we can switch projects–can get us really stuck, stuck, stuck! Your corrective statements are much more helpful. And I know what you mean about the 15 minutes. I started out that way–and wrote that way for many years. But now that I don’t have to anymore, I have reverted to the “fifteen minutes isn’t enough time to do anything, so why start?” mentality again. Thanks for the wake-up call there! “Oh goodie! I have 15 minutes!”

Comment by Kristi Holl — July 7, 2010 @ 8:24 pm
I done good early on!
I gave up both my right, left, and wrong mind for Lent, years ago. Now I simply awake with coffee and pen or pencil in hand, and say “Yippee! I can either poke holes in the cheese or in my eye, or in paper! (and connect the dots to make words) Yippee! Paper’s Cheaper! We all win!

Comment by Jenny Tavernier — July 8, 2010 @ 3:34 am
Jenny, you made me laugh out loud this morning! I love your idea of giving up your left, right, and wrong minds for Lent. LOL. Writing certainly sounds more appealing than poking myself in the eye–so I guess I’ll go write!

Comment by Kristi Holl — July 8, 2010 @ 6:57 am
Wonderful post. It ties right into not being our own worst enemy with our negative thoughts. Positive thoughts and believing them is what truly brings about positive results. Can’t agree with you more!

Comment by Donna McDine — July 8, 2010 @ 1:57 pm
Donna, great to see your name and face pop up! I think the negative thinking is one of those self-defeating behaviors we were trying to defeat last year. I expect it’s something we’ll always need to keep an eye on!

Comment by Kristi Holl — July 8, 2010 @ 2:19 pm
Kristi, these were just the words I needed to read today. I need to think this one a lot: “I am very ready to write after six months of not writing.” I have a friend who reminds me that sometimes the writing doesn’t come because the well is empty. I like to think that I’m not writing right now; I’m filling the well.

Comment by Heather — July 8, 2010 @ 3:33 pm
Heather, keeping the well filled is definitely important. I remember a couple of times when I had to stop and “recover” and spend some time just reading and walking and going to museums and whatever that helped restock the fished-out pond. It’s easier if we take the time to refill the well more often as we go along.

Comment by Kristi Holl — July 8, 2010 @ 6:22 pm
I really want to learn about Book Marketing but i have no talent for writing.`,”

Comment by Isabelle White — July 9, 2010 @ 6:19 am
Isabelle, that’s kind of a mixture of positive and negative. How about: “Persistence is just as important as talent when it comes to writing–and I’m not a quitter!” and “I am ready to learn about marketing!”

Comment by Kristi Holl — July 9, 2010 @ 12:24 pm
Wrong: “I’m all by myself here – how can I ever do this??”
Right: “Clearly, as evidenced by the twenty posts above mine, I am SO not alone and I can do anything I set my mind to!”

Comment by Yvette — July 10, 2010 @ 9:21 pm
Yes, Yvette, when I say “we’re all in this together,” I REALLY do mean that “we’re all in this together.” You are SO not alone!

Comment by Kristi Holl — July 11, 2010 @ 2:20 pm
My wife and I recently wrote a children’s story that we read to our daughter. I think what keeps us from following through are “toxic thoughts.” Thank you for the inspiration.

Comment by Jose M. Blanco — July 19, 2010 @ 10:08 am