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- PhD research publications, authorship disputes and writing blocks
- Writing practice failure pays unexpected dividend
- “The Words” – a story of a blocked writer telling a story about a plagiarized story.
- “The Life of Pi” is a tale of writing woes, and a hero with a tiger in his tank
- When enthusiastic feedback activates writer’s block
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Category Archives: Feedback and criticism
Sean Connery finds his long-lost writing mojo in “Finding Forrester”
In the movie Finding Forrester, Sean Connery plays William Forrester, a washed-up recluse whose career as an author has collapsed after his first novel created a sensation many years earlier. Guilt, grief and disillusionment contributed to his withdrawal from society … Continue reading
Johnny Depp – blocked and dangerous in “Secret Window”
There are as many ways cure writer’s block as there are to skin a cat…… or kill people, as Johnny Depp ably demonstrates in the Stephen King inspired movie Secret Window. As a freshly divorced, just-out-of-the-psych-ward novelist living alone in … Continue reading
Posted in Common Writing Block Problems, Famous writers, Feedback and criticism, Mental health and writing blocks, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination, Uncategorized
Tagged actor who writes, avoid writing, Famous writers, Mental Health and writing, procrastination, writer's block, writing advice, writing blocks, writing productivity
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Assessing Your Writing Productivity Problems
I like to have as complete an understanding of a person’s writing process as possible before I suggest changing anything, so I created an assessment tool for identifying problems that affect productivity. It highlights a number of issues, habits, thoughts, feelings, and other factors … Continue reading
William Holden as a failed writer who winds up floating in the swimming pool
In his role as a struggling young screenwriter in Hollywood, William Holden in Sunset Boulevard pays heavily for giving up his craft to move in with an aged, has-been, profoundly narcissistic silent-film screen idol (Gloria Swanson). Bill has experienced serious … Continue reading
Posted in Common Writing Block Problems, Famous writers, Feedback and criticism, The Blocked Writer's Book of the Dead, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination, Writing for money
Tagged actor who writes, Famous writers, movie about writer, writer's block, writing advice, writing blocks, writing feedback
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When the PhD dissertation goes on forever………..
Dissertation writing is often the most challenging part of the Ph.D. program for many reasons. Granted, it’s supposed to be hard, because you are exploring new areas of research, and this is demanding on many levels. Dissertations are often several-year … Continue reading
Posted in Common Writing Block Problems, Feedback and criticism, PhD and dissertation/thesis writing issues, The Blocked Writer's Book of the Dead, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination
Tagged anxiety and writing, dissertation, mentor, PhD advisor, procrastination, schedule, time management, writer's block, writing advice, writing blocks, writing deadlines, writing distractions, writing habit change, writing productivity
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Hooray! Success!…….then a block
You’d think that the experience of success as a writer would boost your confidence and inspire you to write regularly, with vigor and enthusiasm. It sometimes does. I’ve seen the reverse happen with several writers, who became blocked after hitting … Continue reading
Posted in Common Writing Block Problems, Feedback and criticism, The Blocked Writer's Book of the Dead, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination
Tagged anxiety and writing, imposter phenomenon, literary criticism, manuscript rejection, publication, success, writer's block, writing advice, writing blocks, writing feedback, writing habit change
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Desperate cry from beyond the grave: “It was only a first draft!”
I heard about a young man who was having touble writing due to the worry that if he died unexpectedly, someone might find his unfinished manuscript and conclude he was a terrible writer. He would, of course, be much too … Continue reading
Posted in Common Writing Block Problems, Feedback and criticism, The Blocked Writer's Book of the Dead, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination
Tagged anxiety and writing, avoid writing, writer's block, writing advice, writing blocks, writing feedback, writing habit change, writing productivity
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Paul Giamatti…self-loathing writer in “Sideways”
Paul Giamatti beautifully portrays the ravages that manuscript rejection can inflict on an aspiring author in the movie Sideways. He has had a few near misses with his dark, ponderous novel – giving just enough hope to perpetuate his agony. When … Continue reading
Posted in Feedback and criticism, Mental health and writing blocks, The Blocked Writer's Book of the Dead, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination
Tagged actor who writes, alcohol and writing, anxiety and writing, depression, manuscript rejection, Mental Health and writing, movie about writer, publication, writer's block, writing advice, writing blocks, writing feedback, writing productivity
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Writer’s block and the fear of humilation
A common writing inhibitor is the expectation that your writing will somehow put you at risk for being publicly humiliated. That if you put sentences on paper and make them available to be read, someone will read your words and … Continue reading
Posted in Feedback and criticism, Mental health and writing blocks, The Blocked Writer's Book of the Dead, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination, Uncategorized
Tagged anxiety and writing, Mental Health and writing, writer's block, writing advice, writing blocks, writing feedback, writing habit change, writing productivity
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A word of caution about giving advice to a procrastinator
I, like so many others, am guilty of giving advice to procrastinators. I’ll bet I do it again in this blog post. It is so tempting to offer “help”, and even if my motives are pure and compassionate, the … Continue reading
