The Enemy’s Playbook, Part Two
But Resistance doesn’t stop there (see last week’s post). It attacks us with distractions like the web and social media. It seduces us with sex and drugs and rock ‘n roll. It diverts us into vices like abuse of ourselves or others, addiction, self-dramatization.
It scatters our focus and dissipates it within a thousand conflicting enthusiasms, none of which we seem to be able to settle upon and actually commit ourselves to. When we do succeed in sitting down to do our work, Resistance paralyzes us with the fear of failure and the terror of success; it freezes us with self-doubt. It relentlessly undermines our self-belief.
Resistance is not just brutal and pitiless, it is clever and protean and ever-evolving. It is an active, intelligent, diabolical force that will shape-shift, allure, seduce, intimidate, terrorize. It will use reason against us. It will offer excuses that seem legitimate (and may even be) to stop us from doing our work. It will entice us into arrogance and complacency. It will paralyze us with dread of the judgment and disapproval of others.
Is this ringing a bell? I know it is because that voice is in my head, just like it’s in yours, and it never goes away, never diminishes, and never cuts us a moment of slack.
Why do we need self-awareness and self-discipline, you and I? Why do we need to learn self-motivation, self-validation, self-reinforcement?
“That second self … will kill you. It will kill you like cancer. It will kill you to achieve its agenda, which is to prevent you from actualizing your Self, from becoming who you truly are.”
DO THE WORK
Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.
THE AUTHENTIC SWING
A short book about the writing of a first novel: for Steve, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Having failed with three earlier attempts at novels, here's how Steve finally succeeded.
NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T
Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.
TURNING PRO
Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have pro habits. When we turn pro, we give up the comfortable life but we find our power. Steve answers the question, "How do we overcome Resistance?"
As always, thanks for the reminder.
Thank you vey much dear Steve. Ah, a Force that can’t be seen nor be felt, but it brings great results to the table of mistress Nothingness – the neutrality of the “homeostasis of easiness”. Speaking about that, I parallel it to the point of least resistance. Or Resistance. I’m looking for the wand that will turn Resistance against itself and make it motivating instead of repelling, but I might be hunting fairies. Hm, fairies.
Send my love to Diana and all our friends! Rupes nebulosa.
It really isn’t any fun, no matter how it’s masked.
Spot on. The first thought to enter my head this morning was ,”The piece you wrote yesterday, you know it’s shit, right?”
But because I showed up here this morning, I’m going to edit the piece and possibly believe it’s not shit and send it out after a polishing. I may not see it in print, but maybe I will. I will definitely have the satisfaction of knowing I did my damn job.
The most disheartening thing I’ve seen among friends and family is, “I wished I would have done….”
Thank you, Steve. Wishing all a good fight this week.
It’s comical, Jackie, how guaranteed I am to have the same “first thought” you do the morning after I’ve written something. Then I think, “That isn’t bad.” And chances are it makes it into print almost exactly the way I’ve worded it.
Not so with a piece I wrote earlier this year and was published last month. It was edited down to bland and I was no longer excited to share it here, for example. But! I had so much fun writing it — so I left it in the win column. The reward is in the work.
Thanks Maureen for sharing your insights. Much appreciated.
The predator mind (Castaneda) … feeding us thoughts that trigger emotions …its food. But what are they? ,thoughts.. nothing …just thoughts .. we give them the juice ..we give that parasite life .. we feed it , indulge in emotionalism …it’s on a winner ….a slap-up daily feast and it will milk us slowly to the end . Time to cut off its supply.
Stop listening to it . Starve it.
Do the work .
Up writing in the wee hours, and that voice shows up—subtle as ever: You’ve written enough… fix the holiday decorations…This time, listening to that inner enemy actually worked—its distraction was to check my emails, and the email I opened was yours… reminding me not to listen to that enemy. Perfect timing.
It helps to know we’re all wrestling the same inner opponent—and that simple self-awareness might just be its kryptonite.
Thanks, Steven!
After my unbridled creation and self publishing of my first books, a trilogy at age 71 to 72, and now a sequel at age 73, i believed resistance was in its cage. The beast has escaped. My ass is unsure where my heart wants to be. Perhaps we can finally take those few minutes and chat briefly. Folowing up in the 30 minutes with Steve i had to postpone do to knocking bladder cancer out of my internal terrain earlier this past year. If not, ok by me Steve, as it is my beast to capture again. Rick
New idea; Chasing my Grandpa Wes time in Belleau Wood as a Marine in WW I. The story seems worth resurrecting through a fictional character much like Grandpa.
From these discussions prompted by Steven, I’m beginning to visualize this beast of Resistance. Glowing red eyes, bright with opportunistic intelligence. . .sharp talons, to rip apart your self-confidence and discipline . . . a reference book at hand regarding your weaknesses and distractions and self-doubts, as Resistance plots the next assault on your creative impulse, it’s wide mouth shaping a sardonic grin. Resistance gazes at you through a mirror, darkly, secure in its invisibility.
The hardest part of recognition, is the demand to re-calibrate the priorities on a daily basis. The needs of the significant others,( meals, recognition of achievements, household & medical. A daily shifting of priorities in the chain.
The imobilizing guilt that writing/creativity MUST bow to the clock/calendar schedules of appointments, closing hours of the Post Office, etc….Right…
A Navy Seal once said “under pressure, you don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training.”
My first thought was this would be something Steve would say.
Shalom
Sing, Muse!
Drown out the malicious whisperings of the enemy.
I will heed only your call, Goddess.
Steve,
Like you said, the cool thing about doing the work is: the more you do it the more you realize you have tools to dismantle Resistance and achieve your goals.
Even if Resistance is ever present and neverending, having done it once gives you confidence to know you can do it again. Even if the journey is long and sluggish.
York
When I read:
… for a second I thought, “I think I used to date her.”
🙂
I’m glad you talked about this.