If you want to just jump right in, here are the daily videos. I’m currently posting on Twitter/X, BlueSky, Instagram, TikTok, Substack, and more with the hashtag #CreateIt22. If you want more information, read on.
Welcome, creative. If you’re here, you’re probably stuck.
I don’t think anyone knows for certain what their breaking point is. Well, In 2020, I found mine: I had two small strokes, and the few words I had left were suddenly gone.
I couldn’t remember my address. My phone number. What anything was called. I lived in fog, vague, unable to discern the shape of things beneath my fingertips. My short-term memory evaporated, and I couldn’t even recall what I’d just seen or read. I wept, literally, at my blinking cursor and blank pages.
This seems like a low creative point, doesn’t it? It certainly was… but it wasn’t really the first time I’d landed there.
I have written all my life. I have also been blocked for most of it. I was one of those geyser creatives. Sometimes the words flowed, unreliable and wonderful—and most of the time, they didn’t.
I thought this was normal. Every creative I knew lived in one of two phases: yay, creating, and boo, blocked.
Thanks to that geyser pattern, I always expected to return to “normal” eventually, writing in spurts with great gaps in between, feeling like a writer again. It had to happen, right? The words would come back.
This time, they did not.
I went months with nothing. Nothing. I went long enough without writing that I began to feel like a liar every time I called myself a writer.
It was a bad, bad spot, fellow creative. Had I been fooling myself all along? It felt that way, that the books I’d produced were flukes, that I never should have told anyone I was going to do this, that my creative hopes were done.
The good news is this mess had a hell of a silver lining. Finding myself completely blocked, unable to rely on geysers anymore, forced me to find a new way to function.
It’s a strange aspect of being blocked that no matter how long we go without it, we never lose the hunger, the need, to make something. Even if we give it up (whatever that means), we are unable to truly abandon the desire. We know we are meant to create.
I might have gone to sleep weeping into my pillow over no longer being a writer, but I’d wake knowing I was meant to tell stories. I might grieve all my unfinished manuscripts, but then find my thoughts drifting to tales I wanted to tell as if there were hope I still could.
Hope is weird. It can taste quite strange. Even though I’d given up, it seemed I couldn’t give up.I think many of you know this feeling. You are reading this book—and that means, no matter how long you’ve been blocked, you’re not ready to give up, either.
Creative, there is hope for you. I’ve gone from complete block to writing every single day, and I have not been blocked since I applied the principles I am going to teach you.
What changed? My understanding of creation.
There are only two steps to getting unblocked for good. Two steps to beating your creative block forever. Two steps to being the kind of person who can and will make new things every day.
Those two steps are simple. I didn’t say they’re easy. You’ll have to unlearn bad habits, not just learn new ones. You’ll have to train your thinking with new definitions for familiar words. You’ll have to fight the mindset that got you into this mess, reevaluating what you consider valuable and why. You’ll have to face yourself (your greatest foe), and the challenges that come with a consciously shaped identity.
Creative, you can do this. I know you can. I was able to, and I’m literally not firing on all cylinders.
CreateIt22 is designed so anyone can take these steps. I’m sharing them because I want you creating, too. I want you freed from block. I’m one beggar, showing others where to find a feast.
Come with me, and I’ll show you how this works.
How do I do #CreateIt22?
There are two overarching principles for this: make one new thing every day, and let it be tiny and terrible.
Now, these are huge principles, dealing with identity, the science of habits, and more, which is one of the reasons I create pep-talks every single day. In application, they’re simple, if not easy.
- Every single day, make something new. This comes down to addressing fear, learning to face your inner critic, and the biological principles of habit-forming.
- Let that new thing be tiny and terrible. This is crucial, because if you judge it harshly, or insist on it being perfect or large or publishable, you simply won’t be able to do it, and therefore will not form the habit.
As I said, these are simple. They are not easy.
I have done this, facing chronic illness, family stresses, financial woes, and more. Many other creatives have from all mediums, as well. You can, too. This entire thing is set up so anyone can.
It helps knowing you’re not alone. Reach out to me on any of the above platforms, and I’ll get back to you. We are in this together, creative. You’re not alone, and your creative journey is not at an end.
Resources
These are some resources I’ve used over the years for writing. Hopefully, they’ll help you!
Table of Contents
- Conquering Fear and Doubt as a Writer
- Learning How to Write Well
- Tools to Write With
- Resources for Traditional Publishing
- Self-Publishing Resources
- Marketing Resources and Crafting Your Career
- Tools to Build Your Online Presence
Conquering Fear and Doubt as a Writer
- How to Tame Your Inner Critic
This is one of the best posts I’ve ever seen on conquering that nasty voice that tells you you suck. - Stop Waiting to Feel Unafraid Before You Create Your Best Work
Life-changing advice from Jeff Goins: stop waiting to be picked. - 5 Reasons Writing Is Important to the World
Yes, what you have to say matters – and you need this article in your armory for the times you feel it doesn’t. - Repeat After Me: There Is No Right Way to Write a Book
This post by Victoria Schwab is one of my absolute favorites. - Writer’s Doubt: The #1 Enemy of Writing (and What You Can Do About It)
Bryan Hutchinson’s deeply encouraging work. - You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One)
Jeff Goins delivers a much-needed kick to the pants. - Neil Gaiman: Keynote Address 2012 at the University of the Arts
Ever heard the phrase, “Make good art?” This is the source. VERY worth 20 minutes of your time. - Imagining your future projects is holding you back.
This article on “idea debt” is transformative. - Neil Gaiman on How Writers Learn and Why First Drafts Don’t Matter
- The Rilke Test: How to Know if You Have What It Takes to Be a Writer
How are great writers able to overcome these fears? By answering the most important question a writer needs to answer. - How Long Should You Keep Trying to Get Published?
- Nothing Takes the Place of Just Doing it. Dr. David Mack, the writer of Daredevil, gives four simple and poweful steps to writing.
- Haves and the Have-Nots: Surviving Writer Envy
- 10 Solutions for Writers Who Worry too much (like me!)
- How to Keep Writing Even When You Feel Like a Fraud
- 12 Uncomfortable Feeglins That Show You’re On the Right Track
- The Rilke Test: How to Know if You Have What it Takes to Be a Writer
- Struggling to Write Doesn’t Mean You’re Not a Writer
- The Difference Between Good Writers and Bad Writers
- Why Your First Draft Isn’t Crap
- Just Write the Damned Book Already
- 16 Quotes From Writers on First Drafts
- The More Books You Write, the Harder it Gets (the Secret to Writing Mastery)
- Keri Smith’s excellent Artist’s Survival Kit
Learning How to Write Well
- On Writing the Comics—and Queer Characters—We Need
Neil Gaiman and N.K. Jemisin in Conversation - The Scene Book: A Primer For the Fiction Writer
Sandra Scofield transforms the way you may understand writing scenes. - Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story
K.M. Weiland’s incredibly useful resource lays it all out. - The Better Novel Project
Deconstructs best-selling novels to find common elements - The Write Practice
Articles every other day on characterization, pacing, grammar and punctuation, and more. - How to Create Awesome Scene Arcs That Surprise Readers
- If You Want to Be a Writer, Neil Gaiman Says You Should “Get Bored”
- World-Building Resources from GeekGirlCon 2015
Including handouts and the full audio recording of the panel. - Becoming Writer
The best (in my opinion) writing community on the internet. - How I Self-Edit My Novels: 15 Steps From First Draft to Publication
- Finish your doggone story!
This page has some of the BEST ADVICE on finishing your story I’ve ever seen. - WHEN THERE IS NO TEMPLATE, Writing on Pixar’s INSIDE OUT
“You need to find a way to accept failure. To be okay making mistakes, or better, to welcome it, because that means you are out on that edge. It’s hard not to be “right” and perfect and brilliant! But no one always is and playing it safe only gets you safe stories, not thrilling, original ones.” - 5 Ways to Keep Writing When Life Intervenes
- 15 places to find a beta reader.
- 40 Words For Emotions You’ve Felt, But Couldn’t Explain
- A couple handy lists for describing bodyparts:
- How to Maximize Your Word-Count and Write More Every Day
- 6 Golden Rules For Writing Middle Grade
- Ten Hand-to-Hand Combat Myths Writers Need to Stop Using
- The Most Common Writing Mistakes
This is a GREAT resource from KM Weiland. - DIY Your Edit: 10 Tips to Shape Up Your Manuscript
- Write Like a Comparative Mythologist
- How to write the perfect plot in 2 easy steps
Tools to Write With
- Scrivener
WELL worth the price. The best organizational and creative tool available. - Scrivener Superpowers by MG Herron
Scrivener is not like your ordinary word processor. This guide will supercharge your writing process. - One Note https://www.onenote.com
- Google Keep http://www.google.com/keep/
- Evernote https://evernote.com/
- Aeon Timeline http://scribblecode.com
- Worksheets for Writers
Resources for Traditional Publishing
- Understanding Advances in Publishing
- 25 Steps to Being a Traditionally Published author: Lazy Bastard Edition
This. Is. PERFECT. Delilah S. Dawson has explained the traditional-publishing process with alacrity (and some adult language). - Writing the perfect query letter
- Writing the Novel Synopsis by Jane Friedman
- Preditors and Editors
Useful to make sure the agency is legit. - Beware of Sharks in Publisher’s Clothing
A horror story and simple ways to check if that publisher’s legit. - How to Write a Darn Good Query Letter
- Query Shark
This awesome lady rips your query apart. Painful, but helpful. - The Complete Guide to Query Letters That Get Manuscript Requests
- When a Literary Agent Says Yes: Evaluating an Offer (or Offers!) of Representation
- Publisher’s Marketplace
The best place to come to see if the agent you’re looking at has actually sold anything in recent years. (Surprisingly important!) - Open Q&A by a Reader For a Literary Agency
This is incredibly helpful. Give it a read! - Understanding Ebook Rights
Self-Publishing Resources
- All About Publishing – and Why I Chose to Go Indie
Traditional? Indie? What the heck does that mean? - THIS IS GREAT: Author’s Resources from Rebecca Crunden
- The Self-Publishing Checklist
- Five Reasons to Self-Publish
- How to Find an Editor
- Why I Left Smashwords
- My Experience as an Indie Author
- Ten Steps to Perfect Cover Design
- Jane Friedman on How to Self-Publish Your Book
- Beware of Sharks in Publisher’s Clothing
A horror story and simple ways to check if that publisher’s legit. - Joanna Penn: How to Publish a Book
- Opinion: Indie Authors Need To Think About Publishing Rights
- Setting the Price for Your Novel — What You Need to Know
- Writing the Perfect Blurb
- A Tax Cheat Sheet for Kindle eBook Self-Publishing
- Cover Design by WillowRaven
Some particularly good design at affordable prices
Marketing Resources and Crafting Your Career
- Your First 1000 Copies
The best resource I know for setting up your initial marketing efforts, including website, newsletter, and social media. - Every Writer Needs a Tribe (Have You Found Yours?)
A free ebook by Jeff Goins - So You Want to Be a Writer
- Book Marketing 101
- How to Get Blurbs: A Case Study
- Author Website: Examples, Templates, and How-to Build One
- 16 Principles for Building and Leading a Tribe
- The Introvert’s Guide to Book Marketing
- It Isn’t Amazon Publishers Should Fear. It’s Bookbub.
- How Long Should You Keep Trying to Get Published?
- The Most Successful Creative People Say Constantly Say “No”
- Feet on the Ground: developing your street team
- 50 Book Marketing Ideas Every Author Needs to Know
Tools to Build Your Online Presence
- How to Build a Website (for authors)
- WordPress
- Photoshop
At the time of this listing, $10.00 per month. - The 10 Best Photoshop Alternatives
- Mailchimp (they let you do it for free!)
- SumoMe
A simple, free way to start building your mailing list. - Professional Media Kit Template Bundle
Not free, but VERY worth it.