Perfectionism and the Myth of the Tortured Writer
Reset your expectations, shift your preconceptions, and find a writing routine that actually works for you.
How to Silence your Inner Critic
Shush that noise (in your head) and learn to live with – and ignore – your inner critic.
Writing Lessons From Groundhog Day
Well hey there. Who’s ready for some tough talk about how setting yourself up for failure can be one of the most helpful approaches to writing? Yes! Failure! One of the most useful experiences an artist can ever have. We talk about fear of failure a lot at WHQ, and why you have to feel the […]
Break Through the (Writing) Blockage
Frustrated af with your writing? Stuck? Hit a wall? Feeling totally meh about the whole thing? Looking for a way out of the world of sticky writing blockages? (ew) Ok, how’s about an internet-attention-span-friendly listicle? Something quick ‘n’ dirty to help you get moving again? A LITERARY LAXATIVE, if you will? (ew) Alright, alright, before we […]
Troubleshoot Your Writing: Why Are You Stuck?
Fear not the stickage. Everyone hits a sticking point in their writing at some point. Hitting a sticking point does not = failure. Going through a writing drought does not mean you should give up. Realising your writing is riddled with problems does not mean it’s not redeemable. But before you can move past all […]
Shiny Thing Syndrome: A Writer’s Malady
We’re here today to talk about a serious condition that afflicts hundreds of thousands of writers across the world. It’s called Shiny Thing Syndrome (STS). Shiny Thing Syndrome can strike at any time, but is a common symptom of writers who are mid-way through a work-in-progress and who will do almost anything to avoid putting […]
Beginning A Story: What Stops Us Starting?
I have this funny thing that I do before I start any new writing project. For whatever reason (spoiler: procrastination) I get it into my head that before I truly begin I have to have the absolute perfect opening sentence, and that this opening sentence will carry the voice of the piece I’m working on, […]
Fear and Failure: A Guide to Giving No F*cks
In our Fear & Failure series, we’re going to bombard you with a whole shit-tonne of blogs on the terror of failure and rejection, and how to pull your little cotton socks back up and carry the fuck on. So take a seat. We’ve got important matters to discuss. First, we want to talk to […]
How To Cope With Rejection
It is a truth universally acknowledged that every writer, no matter how accomplished, will, at some point, get rejected. So join the club. Look, you get a free badge and everything: Look, it happens to the best of us. Some of the most rejected books of all time also happen to be massively successful, award-winning […]
Why We Find Writing So Scary (And Why That’s A Good Thing)
Get yourself a cup of tea and let’s have a lil’ chat about the overwhelming terror of writing (and how to get over it…)