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The Creative Mindset Guest Writer The Creative Mindset Guest Writer

Guest Post: Four Ways to Stay True to Your Writing Vision Despite External Resistance

In a world where there’s so much noise and everyone sounds the same, writer, your unique story is needed more than ever.

Now, I don’t mean the idea that’s been watered down because you’ve been too busy comparing yourself to every other writer on the planet and convincing yourself what you’ve got isn’t good enough. I certainly don’t mean meshing those wondrous threads of imagination with what you assume to be dominating the bestsellers lists.

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The Creative Mindset Kristen Kieffer The Creative Mindset Kristen Kieffer

How Writers Can Weather Creative Setbacks With Resilience

Every writing journey has its bumps in the road. Sometimes those setbacks are of our own making, while other times they aren't our fault in the slightest.

Either way, there’s no doubt that setbacks can drain your mental and emotional energy.

Thankfully, there are steps that every writer can take to not only minimize the number of setbacks they experience but to weather creative turbulence with resilience and strength. What must you do to begin cultivating a little of this creative fortitude?

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The Writing Life, The Creative Mindset Kristen Kieffer The Writing Life, The Creative Mindset Kristen Kieffer

How Writers Can Quit the Creative Comparison Game

Creative comparison often gets a bad rap. Like self-doubt, comparison can be a lens through which writers can identify the strengths and weaknesses in their work, ultimately helping them improve the quality of their skills and stories with intention.

But without the right attitude in place, ego and insecurity can blind writers to the insights that comparison can provide, warping constructive comparison into a dangerously destructive act.

So, how can you overcome unhealthy creative comparison?

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The Creative Mindset Kristen Kieffer The Creative Mindset Kristen Kieffer

How to Win the Battle Against Creative Resistance

All writers experience creative frustration from time to time. But what if you experience creative frustration most of the time?

Maybe you’ve yet to finish a first draft after years of writing, always lured by the siren song of a new story idea not long after beginning the last. Maybe you’ve developed an idea you love, but you’re afraid of failing to do the story justice. Maybe you’ve been struggling to find the time or motivation to sit down and write.

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Five Tips For Finding Writing Motivation

You can only call yourself a writer if you actually write, right?

Often, we writers have the best intentions to make time for our practices, but those plans fall through. Day jobs, family, social lives, and making dinner have all been known to make us go from thinking “I’m going to write today!” to “Maybe tomorrow…”

So, how do you make sure you actually sit down to write instead of continually postponing it?

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The Creative Mindset, Book Marketing Guest Writer The Creative Mindset, Book Marketing Guest Writer

How to Overcome The Fear of Submitting Your Fiction

So, you’re fearful of putting your writing out there into the world…

Well, you’re not alone. Every writer experiences anxiety about letting other people read their work. Every writer fears rejection and criticism. Today, I’d like to help you overcome these fears by sharing insights gained from my own submission experience.

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The Writing Life, The Creative Mindset Guest Writer The Writing Life, The Creative Mindset Guest Writer

Guest Post: How to Find Your Writing Rhythm Using The Snowball Effect

So there you sit. Again. Be it electronic or physical paper, the anxiety-inducing blank page stares back at you for the umpteenth time.

You’ve read plenty of articles explaining that most writers deal with this same situation all the time. All you need to do is push through the writer’s block, right? So you sit and sit and sit, waiting for inspiration to strike. Only it doesn’t. The longer you wait, the more frustrated you become. Finally you walk away, vowing to “try again tomorrow with a clear head.”

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The Creative Mindset, The Writing Life Guest Writer The Creative Mindset, The Writing Life Guest Writer

Five Simple Tips for Conquering Creative Burnout

You’re excited about your novel idea. You want to write it, and you know you should be working on it, but life keeps getting in the way. When you do have time to write, you find yourself too physically and mentally exhausted. Burnt out to a crisp.

No matter where you are in life, you likely balance so many commitments that coming home to stare at a computer screen after a long day of school or work can seem like just another chore. Taking a break feels counterintuitive. Doesn’t that make the problem worse? How can taking a break from your passion prove refreshing?

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