Episode 63: Overcoming the mindset hurdles keeping you stuck in your writing with author and coach Trisha Loehr

Listen now!

I may sound like a broken record, but I’m going to keep saying it for everyone in the back:

Mindset is a critical tool that can make or break your success as a writer.

It almost doesn’t matter how talented you are if your mind is working against you. If every move you make is subverted by an inner critic that is just running amuck. And most of us come to the page with preconceived notions about the “right” way to write, what is and isn’t productive, how our process “should” look—even if we’ve been doing this a long time.

We have to stop that. Our brains all work differently, and that’s something to be celebrated and nurtured, not beaten down.

In this episode, Trisha and I break down some of the biggest mindset barriers to success and how to start coaching yourself in a kinder, more productive way.

We cover:

  • Where mindset blocks come from and how to start shifting our thinking
  • How each writer’s process is highly individualized and why we shouldn’t compare ourselves to anyone else
  • The inner work and introspection necessary to understand yourself, which will help you understand your writing style

If you’ve been feeling down on yourself as a writer because you’re thinking you’re not as productive as other writers, or lost in processes that feel like a slog, this episode is for you.

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts.

Notable quotes:

  • “​Mindset plays such a huge role in whether or not we actually sit down to write whether or not we actually get anything on the page–whether or not we actually make progress towards whatever our writing goals are.”

  • “So much of mindset is based on the lessons that we were told growing up, the things that we were taught in classes that we took or speakers that we heard. And sometimes whatever we were taught isn’t actually applicable to us as individuals. It’s for other brains, other bodies, other people, other creative methods or processes. But so often we try and apply those to ourselves without evaluating whether or not they actually fit and then we just get stuck.”

  • “Plotting/pantsing is a spectrum and we all fit somewhere on that spectrum. Some people are very much on either extreme. They can’t even really think about a story at all. They’re complete pantsers. Other people plot every single moment in that manuscript. But the vast majority of us are somewhere in the middle. Don’t try to keep trying to force yourself to be one or ther other because then it just makes you feel like you’re not good enough.“

  • “This writing does not need to be good in this first draft. We’re playing in the sandbox, we’re experimenting, We’re figuring out who these characters are, we’re figuring out what their story is. And it could very well be very different than what we thought it was going to be, and that’s okay. It doesn’t need to be good.”

If you’re not following Trisha yet, you can find her at https://www.trishajennreads.com/.

And make sure you’re following me on IG @lizmugavero for the latest episodes!