Writing Gremlins, Part Two: Increasing Your Writing Power

Gremlins are the cruel, cunning embodiment of the limiting thoughts that hold writers back. The first step toward vanquishing yours is to consciously notice its presence. This skill takes practice and is worth developing because it shifts power to you, the observer, and allows you to choose a ...Gremlins are the cruel, cunning embodiment of the limiting thoughts that hold writers back. The first step toward vanquishing yours is to consciously notice its presence. This skill takes practice and is worth developing because it shifts power to you, the observer, and allows you to choose a proactive response.

I’m in a coffee shop as I write this article, staring blankly at the pastry case, making no progress. Tension in the gut is my gremlin detector, and it sounds the alarm. I take a deep breath, then identify the emotion—discouragement—and the thought—“I can’t possibly do this in 500 words; have a Danish”—that accompany this body sensation. My gremlin, a gelatinous fiend, looms large, waiting to see if I’ll take the bait. It wants me to eat that Danish and go home feeling queasy, but I reduce it to a blob of raspberry jam.

Step two of vanquishing your gremlin is to replace it with something that makes you feel good and increases your writing power. Replacements can take many forms: words, images, actions, etc. For maximum effectiveness, they should be immediately available, infused with personal meaning and tied to emotions, thoughts and sensations that serve you. The following replacements tend to work well for writers:

• Words. Choose a few that describe how you feel when you’re writing at your best: “Focused,” “Joyful,” “Bulletproof.” When your gremlin appears, stun it with verbiage.

• Images. These can be anything from a snapshot of your book tour, to a Ferrari, to your grandma—whatever puts you in the right mind and mood for writing. Think of two or three.

• Thoughts. Craft some empowering ones to fire back at your gremlin. Sentiments like “I’m so appreciative and grateful for my writing life!” will shock it into hasty retreat.

• Fantasies. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had the Oprah’s Book Club fantasy, and my gremlin quakes like Jell-O when I play it. Pick a few favorites to keep yours at bay.

• Sounds. Applause, laughter, a fat hardback closing. Brainstorm sounds that will make your gremlin cringe. You can even download them off the Internet if you want (www.findsounds.com).

• Actions. Ever jump for joy or clap with excitement? Physical actions are great gremlin tamers, especially in tandem with other replacements. Karate kicks do it for me.

Once you’ve created your replacements, choose a favorite from each category and work with those first. Experiment. Develop best practices. Employ combinations. For example, after noticing your gremlin, stun it with “bulletproof,” subject it to an Oprah interview and make it cringe with applause, then drop it with a well-placed karate kick.

But don’t stop there. To actively increase your power, use this technique every time you sit down to write, even when your gremlin isn’t there—and read Rick Carson’s book "Taming Your Gremlin." With practice, your skills will improve, and before too long, your gremlin, not you, will be the one feeling queasy.