Rest should be the foundation of your writing life. Move your attention toward it. Take naps. Stare out the window into middle space. Act as though you have all the time in the world to write your book. Actually tell yourself: I have so much time.

Your curiosity teaches you about what you want to do next. Your affinity teaches you about your values and true nature. Your admiration teaches you about your own skills and abilities. Your sadness teaches you what you love and find most meaningful in storytelling. Your jealousy teaches you what you really want to do or have in your own work. Your

This is a truth I’ve learned and relearned so many times in my life: For me, doing nothing always turns into deep noticing. The key is to simply continue to do nothing for long enough.

spent those years writing for someone else: an editor I hadn’t met yet, a projection of literary authority I created in my mind. I was writing pieces that I hoped sounded like publishable stories, trying to guess what readers would want, and what editors thought was important. In the process, I’d forgotten what made me want to be a writer in the fi

One way to avoid falling into a procrastination trap is to separate your writing time from your to-do list and problem-solving. Set clear boundaries for your writing time and honour them rigorously. If you haven’t already established a writing schedule, create one now and treat it as sacred. During this time, focus solely on your writing, letting o

What they don’t know is that all the seemingly unproductive acts that happen around writing—reading, daydreaming, decluttering, taking long walks, closing your eyes to fully appreciate the smell of rain on asphalt—are actually subtle and crucial activities that make writing possible.

You have a hard time finishing your work because you’re afraid you won’t meet your own or external expectations.

The adventure can still get gnarly, though, even when you’re listening to your true nature. Clues that you’re writing with creative curiosity: You feel like you’re doing it wrong. You feel out of your depth. After you write a fresh, fun part, the sparkly feeling wanes. You have no idea what to do or where to go next.

Practice