Writing is hard. Sure, there’s the indescribable sense of flow when the words pour out oh-so-effortlessly, there’s that stroke of brilliance when a plot twist strikes out of nowhere, there’s the feeling of creating something that no one else has before. Every one of those feelings is motivating and rewarding and necessary for our long-term writing mojo. But…
Note: This is a guest post by Tamar Sloan, she’s a practicing psychologist, a freelance editor, consultant and the author of PsychWriter – a fun, informative hub of information on character development, the science of story and how to engage readers. Tamar is also an award-winning author of young adult romance, creating stories about finding life and love beyond our comfort zones.
The road to the publication dream is littered with unfinished manuscripts, dejected hearts, and writers wondering if they should turn around and head home. The rejection from agents and publishers, the slow sales, the negative reviews, are all hurdles every writer will face.
The most insidious under-miner is self-doubt and all its cousins—impostor syndrome, writer’s block, the pull of procrastination—they’re like vultures, circling…looking for vulnerabilities…swooping down and feasting on your insecurities for as long as you’ll let them.
Self-doubt will kill your writing mojo far more skilfully than any rejection or scathing review.
Why?
Because it’s internal. Inescapable. And it doesn’t shut up.
I know. I’ve been there, and at some stage, will be again.
But I manage them differently now. They don’t stop the ideas from coming or the words from flowing. How?
Growth mindset.
Growth mindset was a concept that sparked a light bulb moment for me. A life-changing moment. I discovered I’d spent my whole life entrenched in a fixed mindset!
Discovering growth mindset challenged my assumptions about what I am capable of, about how I see my own failures, and at the same time, intuitively struck me as true.
As a practicing psychologist, I’d been applying a growth mindset with my clients (in the belief they can change, irrespective of how long a behaviour had been present), I’d subscribed to it as a teacher (in setting high expectations for my students because I believed they could always achieve more), and I’d employed it as a parent (in the belief my sons could reach their dreams if they applied themselves).
But I had never really applied it to myself.
Until I started researching…
Growth mindset states that our talent, intelligence, and abilities can change through hard work, dedication and the use of effective strategies.
Basically, those with a growth mindset believe that their brain and abilities can grow with effort. They understand when they are learning or doing something new and challenging—oh, like writing a book that will sell enough to produce an income—that hard work can help them accomplish their goals. They believe they can learn from challenges and set-backs.
In essence, potential is based on the amount of drive, energy and determination necessary to accomplish a task or goal.
Conversely, our other option is a fixed mindset.
Someone with a fixed mindset believes that abilities are ‘fixed’—you’re either smart and talented and destined for success or you’re not. Your talent level is inborn and therefore permanent. There’s no point trying because there is little we can do to improve our aptitude, and every failure we experience proves that very fact.
Let me demonstrate the difference between fixed and growth mindset.
Alex has always dreamed of being a writer. She has multiple manuscripts sequestered deep in her computer, most are unfinished, but one idea, one set of characters, wouldn’t go away. Over countless hours fitted around her day job and family, the story was written.
With a trembling finger and a hopeful heart, Alex sent her newborn creation to six publishers. Over the next few months, two publishing houses sent their form rejections, three never responded. One stated she had ‘an interesting voice and engaging premise, but the story lost momentum.’
Fixed mindset Alex would think the following:
- ‘I’ll never write anything good enough to be published.’
- ‘My writing isn’t good enough.’
- ‘I knew I wasn’t talented enough to make it.’
A fixed mindset tends to interpret setbacks as evidence you don’t have what it takes. How likely is Alex to keep going after these thoughts?
Growth mindset Alex would think the following:
- ‘This publisher may not have liked it, but another might.’
- ‘Right, so I haven’t mastered momentum yet. What do I need to do next?’
- ‘What can I learn from this?’
People with growth mindset believe they can grow; they reframe obstacles and setbacks as opportunities to learn.
As someone with a science background, what I particularly like is that growth mindset is proven to make a difference. Research has convincingly demonstrated that people with growth mindsets are overwhelmingly grittier, happier, healthier, more satisfied, and more prosperous and fulfilled in school, business, work, relationships, sports and life.
The key to growth mindset is acknowledging you are a writer in progress.
We are never-ending drafts, each one a little more polished and refined than the last. And just like consecutive versions of any chart-busting novel, they only reached that pinnacle with time and effort. This is where the power of one tiny, three letter word comes in. The power of yet.
By adding yet to our vocabulary, by slipping it onto the end of our statements, we harness the power of a growth mindset.
For example, if you haven’t nailed ‘show, don’t tell’, if you can’t get a publisher to sign on one of your creations, if you can’t figure out how to prop up that saggy middle, adding the word yet to those statements opens up a world of possibilities. All of a sudden, your statement becomes a problem with the assumption of a solution.
Check yet out in action:
- I can’t get the hang of apostrophes…yet.
- I can’t figure out how to make this scene interesting…yet.
- I can’t find a publisher for my book…yet.
By simply adding yet to your statements you reframe them. They are no longer statements without room for movement or solutions. Or hope. They become a statement that you can change for the positive. This mindset will allow you to persevere and bounce back from setbacks, mistakes, and writer’s doubt.
Believe me, its life changing…
What do you think? Do you adopt a growth mindset in relation to your writing? Could you see the value in applying a growth mindset when self-doubt tries to come in and roost?
