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Use the Difficulty

By Rochelle Melander

ˆ

The Exceptional is always usual

And the Usual exceptional.

To choose what is difficult all one’s days

As if it were easy, that is faith. Joseph, praise.

—W.H. Auden, For the Time Being

My coach played a clip of Michael Caine talking about his philosophy, “Use the difficulty.”

In it, Caine recalls rehearsing a play. An actor threw a chair, and it blocked the door Caine needed to enter through. When he complained, the director said, “Use the difficulty. If it’s a comedy fall over it, if it’s a drama pick it up and smash it! Use the difficulty.”

This became Caine’s philosophy. He said, “Now I took that into my own life. … And so, there’s never anything so bad that you cannot use that difficulty. If you can use it a quarter of one percent to your advantage you’re ahead, you didn’t let it get you down.”

Here’s the thing about writing:

Readers want to read about the difficulty.

When I think about my favorite books, it’s the difficulty that makes them worth picking up.

When we meet Meg in A Wrinkle in Time, her father has been missing for a year, and she longs for his presence. When she sets out on a quest to find him, she encounters a string of huge difficulties. One of her guides gives her advice very similar to use the difficulty: “Stay angry, little Meg,” Mrs Whatsit whispered. “You will need all your anger now.”

In Katharine May’s Wintering, she’s entered a part of her life that’s not so fun: her husband is ill, her son doesn’t want to go to school, and she must leave her job because of her health. Life is difficult. No wonder we want to read it. We need to find out what happens next.

But how can you take this idea of “use the difficulty” to help you write?

The Quest

In this quest, you will use the difficulty to either support your writing life or spice up your project. Choose your own adventure.

Writing Process

When you face your next writing obstacle, try approaching it from the point of view, “Use the difficulty.” Consider any obstacle that gets between you and writing. Then brainstorm how you can use the difficulty to shift the situation. Try to imagine at least ten possibilities. The following questions might help you:

  • What is the positive side of this difficulty?
  • Is there anything in the difficulty that you can use?
  • How can the difficulty become an opportunity?
  • What in the difficulty might be productive or useful to you?
  • What does the difficulty teach you?

Writing Content

When it comes to writing, we sometimes forget that the juicy part is in the difficulty. Whether you’re creating story ideas, imagining new scenes, or trying to write about your life, using the difficulty will help you tell a better story.

Imagine the next story, scene, or bit you need to write. Brainstorm ways to use the difficulty. Consider:

  • List the difficulties you, the character, or the reader have faced or might face.
  • In what ways can they use the difficulty? List as many as you can.
  • How can difficulties point you to the next story you need to tell or the next scene you need to write?

Game Play Tips

  • Adopt an attitude of play. When it comes to generating ideas for life or writing, if you can approach it like a game, it will be more fun. And you may come up with more ideas.
  • Think beyond the obvious. The answer to “use your difficulty” might be the difficult one. Push beyond your first ideas to come up with ideas that work for you.

For the Win

When you adopt the philosophy, “use the difficulty,” you’ve already won. Nothing can stop you now!

Write Now! Coach Rochelle Melander is an author and ADHD-trained professional certified coach. She’s helped hundreds of people write and publish books. If you’re struggling to start or finish a project, connect with Rochelle to create a personalized plan for overcoming procrastination, dealing with distraction, and staying focused. Book a private consultation: https://writenowcoach.com/consultation/

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