Comments on: Get Rid of “Should” Once and For All

By: Get In The Habit Of Writing Every Day

Get In The Habit Of Writing Every Day — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:31:49 +0000

[...] I believe that writers need to be in the habit of writing, period. But that doesn’t mean you have to write every day (because remember, you don’t have to do anything). [...]

By: Getting inspired « Day By Day Writer

Getting inspired « Day By Day Writer — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:46:33 +0000

[...] Get Rid of “Should” Once and For All: This is another great one, because we all have the tendency to say “I should be writing” too much. I know I do. And when I do, I don’t feel good about it. I feel much better when I can say, “I have written.” [...]

By: See How Easily You Can Motivate Yourself

See How Easily You Can Motivate Yourself — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:25:09 +0000

[...] may be telling yourself that you SHOULD be working on that project. But as I mention all the time, “should” is a killer of motivation. Should makes you feel trapped and like you have no options, which then causes you to [...]

By: 43 Most Inspiring Writing Advice Posts of 2009

43 Most Inspiring Writing Advice Posts of 2009 — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:13:28 +0000

[...] Get Ride of “Should” Once and For All, by Jennifer Blanchard [...]

By: S. Megan Payne

S. Megan Payne — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:09:51 +0000

I think I need to glue this to my forehead. That’s me all right. :nods emphatically: Boy, is that me.

By: jblan

jblan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:14:00 +0000

@Sandra S Richardson It takes time and practice to make a habit of NOT using certain words (ie: should). Keep at it. You’ll get there soon!

@Karla I agree. We do need to speak to ourselves in the present tense. Because saying “some day” causes a specific feeling–it’s not here and now, it’s in the future. And that’s a problem. So yes, let’s try to speak to ourselves in the present tense and say, “I am a good writer.” “I want to write a novel.” “I choose to write a novel.” Thanks for the awesome comment!

By: Karla, a.k.a. notadimwit

Karla, a.k.a. notadimwit — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:40:38 +0000

Great insight into the world of shoulda,coulda, wouldas. If we are writers by trade or wish to become writers, why is it that we procrastinate on something that is pleasureable? We rarely procrastinate on the things that MUST be done that aren’t pleasurable (laundry, dishes, getting the oil changed), so why do we delay something that is gratifying?

You’re so right on the power of self-talk. Your conscious knows that hopefully you will write, but your subconscious simply understands that writing will always remain in the future, leading you to find ways to keep it that way. Maybe we should speak to ourselves in the present tense so the subconscious gives us an extra nudge to do it NOW.

Karla

By: Stormy

Stormy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:52:12 +0000

This is a great point and probably exactly what a lot of us need to hear right now, four days into NaNoWriMo. I WANT to write 50,000 words!

By: Sandra S Richardson

Sandra S Richardson — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:46:48 +0000

I was told years ago by a counselor that my life was controlled by “shoulds” and “oughts” and that I needed to get rid of them. I wish I could say I’ve conquered them, but I have not.

Sandra

By: Laura Lee Bloor of Tenacious Me

Laura Lee Bloor of Tenacious Me — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:56:02 +0000

Yep — this post hits home. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve said or thought, “I should be writing right now.” I try to replace it with “choose” or “want” and sometimes that helps, and sometimes it doesn’t. Plenty of times that’s been followed by, “Oh, who am I kidding — I just want to veg!” And so then I do, and feel guilty later. Hopefully NaNoWriMo changes that!