Writing should be a spontaneous activity—idea to page—but we dream too long and the idea is lost in the haze and never hits the page.

The Cure

Writers must outline their work.  We need to plan the major plot points, understand their characters in minute detail, and ...

Excuses for not writing. One common one is “Waiting for the Muse.”

The Cure

Plan your work and work your plan. I say, “Suck it up and be brave if you want to amount to anything as a writer.”

The classic way for writers to zone out is alcohol or drugs and today they seek hits of brain dopamine by constantly consulting their phones or sites like Facebook.

The Cure

Identify the self-sabotaging behaviors and refuse to be seduced by them. We need to get pleas...