Reading time: About 3 minutes
Writing feels hard for many people. Check out my eight suggestions for dealing with that problem.
I’m running a one-hour class on revising this week — perfect for writers who’ve taken courses with me before, though of course anyone can jump in. We’ll tackle structure, clarity and how to polish your drafts so they shine. The early-bird price is just $25. After April 9, the cost rises to $50, so now’s the perfect moment to join. (All participants will receive a recording, so don’t worry if you can’t attend live.) Register on this page (just go to the bright green button at the end).
*
You sit down to write and you feel resistance. You have a zillion other things to do, all of which feel way more important — and much more interesting. Besides, you don’t know what to write. And, making matters worse, you’re worried your boss, supervisor or editor isn’t going to like what you do.
This sort of resistance occurs for experienced writers too, not just beginners. The problem isn’t talent or intelligence — or that Mercury is in retrograde. It’s fixable.
Writing feels hard for structural reasons. If you want writing to feel easier, you need to redesign the conditions around it. Think of it as giving your writing a better work environment than a fluorescent-lit cubicle.
The actual reasons writing feels hard
Writing is cognitively demanding in some unique ways. Here’s why it hurts:
- The dreaded dual-task problem: You’re generating ideas and judging them simultaneously, which creates internal conflict.
- The exposure factor: Writing makes your thinking visible, which triggers perfectly natural instincts for self-protection.
- The perfectionism trap: Many writers can’t move forward because they’re editing as they go, before they even have a draft to work with.
- Writing isn’t instantly rewarding: It calls for delayed gratification (drafts take time and the payoff is distant).
- Other distractions usually win: Writing competes with highly engineered distractions (phones, tabs, notifications, social media) that offer immediate dopamine. Writing doesn’t. (Your phone is basically a slot machine. Writing is more like a slow-cooker meal — worth it, but you have to wait.)
Eight strategies to make writing easier
Here are some specific steps you can take that will help banish writing resistance.
1-Lower the bar dramatically
If your goals are too ambitious, your mind will recognize that problem and try to shut you down.
First, change your instructions to yourself from “write a section” to “write one sentence” or “write for five minutes.” I know that doesn’t sound like very much time, but the point is to get you started. Momentum builds from finishing, not forcing.
Second, start calling your first draft a “brain dump” or a “zero draft.” It’s not even a first draft, so you have nothing to worry about!
Make your writing easy to start, not impressive. Give yourself permission to be bad!
2-Create immediate rewards
Your ultimate reward — publication — is likely a long way off. So, pair writing with something that’s immediately enjoyable. Consider coffee, music and a pleasant space. Also, reward your efforts, not just outcomes. Use a chart to track your word count or your editing progress. (You can download a free chart from my website.)
The whole idea is to bring some sort of reward closer to the work itself.
3-Distraction-proof yourself
People often tell me they have no or low willpower. But instead of regretting your lack of willpower, remove or reduce temptations: silence notifications, close tabs and use full-screen mode.
Instead of relying on willpower, redesign your surroundings.
4-Protect your energy
Writing is cognitively demanding; it requires focus, memory and decision-making. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’re going to have reduced attention, slower thinking and a lower tolerance for effort.
Poor nutrition does much the same thing. It leads to energy crashes and brain fog. Reach for fruits, nuts and complex carbs rather than chips or cookies.
What feels like “writing resistance” is often just physical depletion. You can’t write well on fumes and a bag of Doritos. Look after yourself!
5-Separate drafting from evaluating
I know how tempting it is to write and edit at the same time — I did it for about 30 years! Once I broke the habit, however, I more than doubled my writing speed.
Drafting and editing use different mental modes, and it’s exhausting and unproductive to keep flipping between them. Your inner critic has no business showing up during a first draft. Give yourself a wonderfully simple rule: no editing during drafting.
Operating this way will preserve your flow and make writing feel much less punishing.
6-Create a “return habit”
Think of your writing as a habit you practice for a small amount of time each day. Consistency builds familiarity, which reduces resistance.
Anchor your writing to a routine by giving yourself a specific time and place to do it.
Ease comes from repetition, not intensity.
7-Write to one person
If your audience is vague, your writing will be vague as well. Instead, picture a single specific reader — someone you know well —and write to that person, perhaps as if you were writing a letter. You’re not addressing a faceless horde. You’re writing to your friend Magda, who is smart, curious and will tell you if you’re being boring.
8-Use constraints
Many of us think of constraints as uncomfortable limits that make our lives harder. In fact, paradoxically, boundaries often create freedom. A blank page is terrifying; a page with a timer running is actually kind of exciting. Constraints stop you from overthinking and trick you into just…writing. Write using a timer, a word limit or a single question. Once you’ve done that, your writing is complete for the day, and you can feel great about yourself.
The real problem was never you
Writing feels hard for many reasons, but none of them are moral failings. They’re just design problems.
The solution is to make writing smaller, more rewarding and better supported. Writing is both a skill and a practice — not a talent you either have or don’t.
What’s one slight change you could make to your writing conditions today?
Something I’m loving right now
The post you’ve just read also arrives in inboxes every Tuesday — and subscribers get something extra. Each week, I include a brief, subscriber-only bonus: a short paragraph featuring a practical tip about a tool, book, video, app or resource I’ve tested and loved. This bonus is never published on my website — only in the email. No fluff. No sales pitch. Just one smart recommendation to make your writing life easier. Subscribe to my newsletter to get next Tuesday’s bonus.
*
My video podcast last week described how to manage your memoir. You can watch the video or read the transcript, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.
*
If writing feels hard to you, what do you do? We can all learn from each other, so please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the comments section, below. And congratulations to Marti, the winner of this month’s book prize, for a comment on my March 10/26 blog post about the real reason writers don’t write. (Please send me your email address, Marti.) If you comment on today’s post (or any others) by April 30/26, I’ll put you in a draw for a digital copy of my first book, 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. To enter, please scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the “related posts” links, below. You don’t have to join Disqus to post! Read my tutorial to learn how to post as a guest. (It’s easy!)
*
Want to finish your book, thesis or dissertation — or simply write significantly faster? Apply to my Get It Done program: a 3-month accountability group and writing coaching program. I accept new members just four times a year. The application window is open now for a May 1st start. Learn more.
