And welcome, summer!

Yeah, I know–it’s not officially summer until June 21st, but as far as I’m concerned, summer = June, July, August.

In any case, it’s time for another blog hop with the Insecure Writers’ Support Group.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Join us here.

The awesome co-hosts for the June 1 posting of the IWSG are SE White, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguire, Joylene Nowell Butler, and Jacqui Murray!  

Join the IWSG monthly blog hop here: http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

June 1 question – When the going gets tough writing the story, how do you keep yourself writing to the end?

I’ve never really suffered from writer’s block, that dreaded condition when you want to write but no words will come. Nor do I suffer from lack of motivation—I pretty much always want to write.

That said, there are days when pushing the words out is like trying to get the last blob of toothpaste from the tube. Especially on days where my peak focus time is taken up by annoying appointments and errands.

How to cope? Coffee and perseverance. I drink my focus juice and push the words out. Sometimes work is hard. Sometimes art is hard. Didn’t Yoda say something about doing & trying? I wonder if he drinks coffee?

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was in junior high school, there was a popular sticker (from a drum manufacturer? I was a band kid) that read, “You gotta wanna.” That’s it, really. If you don’t wanna write, go do some other creative thing. Maybe the change of pace will refresh your desire to write. Maybe it’ll allow the story to burble in the back of your brain until it’s ready to start again.

Speaking of brains, I recently finished Becca Syme’s Write Better Faster course where she teaches about various ways people’s brains are wired. Some people require long periods of cogitation as part of their writing process. If you’re made that way, go cogitate! That counts as writing too.

One interesting fact I learned: the introversion/extroversion question doesn’t just refer to how you get your energy; it also concerns how you process information–from the inside out, or from the outside in. Introverts like me must think about a (story) problem before discussing it with others. Extroverts like my Hubs must discuss in order to figure out what they think. Which are you?

The most valuable part of this course for me was the discussion of how our top Clifton Strengths shape our best approaches to scheduling, writing, and editing. For those who know what I’m talking about, my top five strengths are Input, Achiever, Maximizer, Communication, and Harmony. I’m an ISTJ, a C on the DISC test, and Enneagram Type Five. I’m also a sucker for personality assessments.

You too? The Write Better Faster course isn’t cheap, around $400, but I got lots of juicy self-knowledge that is already boosting my productivity. You can sample Becca Syme’s work in her free Quitcast videos on Youtube. Good stuff!

Have you taken a writing course you recommend? Please drop me a comment.

I wish you a happy, sunny, writing-friendly June!