Beat the Writing Blues: Make a Small Change By Rochelle Melander

All great things have small beginnings. —Peter Senge

In yoga, I notice that the small shifts yield big rewards. Tiny movements create aha moments. When I relax my shoulders, shift the angle of my foot, or lift my chin—the correct pose emerges. It feels right.

I’ve noticed the same phenomena in writing. Often, a client comes to me with what seems to be a big problem:

+When I finally get to the computer, I have nothing to say.

+My book structure doesn’t work.

+I can’t find time to write.

As we talk, the client comes up with one or two small shifts to try out. And guess what? These small shifts yield big rewards. These shifts have the power to demolish writer’s block, clear up book outlines, and create space to write.

The mistake most of us make, I think, is to believe that writing success comes when we make a giant effort, working ourselves to death every single day.

And effort matters. But for most of us who work as professional writers, this job is more like a marathon than a sprint. Yes, we must make an effort to reach success. But we must exercise that effort slowly, steadily, and over time.

When something is not working in our writing life, we can often make the most impact by tweaking our routine or our writing craft.

So this week, when you notice what does not work, make a tiny shift. Write in a different place, at a different time of day. Change point of view. Start in the middle of the story. Then see what happens!

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