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Tag Archives: perfectionism
Completing the PhD: Thesis Stasis Cases
According to a 2008 report prepared by the Council of Graduate Schools’ Ph.D. Completion Project, 57% of PhD students complete their degrees. Though this high drop out rate is not wholly attributable to writing blocks and procrastination, there is research … Continue reading
Full-Prefrontal Writing Avoidance
Wikipedia describes the functions of the prefontal cortex thusly: The most typical psychological term for functions carried out by the prefrontal cortex area is executive function. Executive function relates to abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, determine good and bad, better and best, … Continue reading
Why are you sick and tired of writing? Too many fish?
On the one hand there is the common thought among writers of, “I don’t feel like writing today.” On the other hand there is the more intense and enduring, “I’m sick and tired of writing!” (Variations of the latter sentiment will … Continue reading
I think (positively) therefore I write. Beating blocks with tools from cognitive therapy.
David Burns wrote a self-help best seller, Feeling Good, based on principles of cognitive therapy, a psychotherapy modality pioneered by Aaron Beck and others. Much of the advice in this book is applicable to writers who are struggling. Cognitive therapy … Continue reading
Posted in Common Writing Block Problems, Famous writers, Mental health and writing blocks, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination
Tagged anxiety and writing, depression, Famous writers, Mental Health and writing, perfectionism, procrastination, writer's block, writing advice
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The tyranny of perfection and the blocked writer
If I need this blog post to be perfect, I’ll never get it done. I prefer the “It can’t be awful” standard over “It must be perfect.” This feels more humane to me and allows for greater freedom and creativity, … Continue reading
Flogging a dead horse: writing hard but never reaching the happy trails…
Writing and riding have a lot in common, in addition to being (almost) homonyms. Both are learned skills that demand patience, a sense of control, discipline and an ongoing relationship with a powerful beast. The beasts are: 1) a real … Continue reading
“You have to write badly in order to write well.” William Faulkner
You have to write badly in order to write well? I don’t know too much about Faulkner’s bad writing, but I guess there must have been some along the way. Hemingway thought some of Faulkner’s later work was negatively affected … Continue reading
Posted in Famous writers, Mental health and writing blocks, The Blocked Writer's Book of the Dead, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination
Tagged alcohol and writing, avoid writing, Famous writers, free writing, Mental Health and writing, perfectionism, procrastination, writer's block, writing advice, writing habit change
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Perfect sloppy writing
A touch of perfectionism isn’t such a bad trait for a writer to possess. It’s especially useful in the final stages of completing a manuscript, so the final product is grammatically correct, reads well, and looks presentable. When a fierce … Continue reading
