Why difficulty isn’t always a verdict
On marathons, stalled creative projects and a new piece for 'Psyche' magazine
Hi writing friends, it’s Chris here,
This week I’m sharing something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. I’ve been training for my first marathon while trying to write the next book. Both are hard things to do. But only one of them tells me clearly why it’s hard. Let me explain.
When I go on a long training run it hurts. It hurts during the run, it hurts after and sometimes, you end up questioning your own sanity. However, I know why it’s difficult and what it’s all for. If it was easy, I’d probably think I was doing something wrong. The book isn’t like that one bit. When the book stalls - when it starts getting slow, sticky and difficult - it doesn’t feel like useful or productive effort. It just feels like proof I’m getting it wrong, making a mess it or making a fool of myself.
I wrote about why that happens for Psyche magazine: the difference between work that follows a known path and work that doesn’t, why the second kind so often gets misread as failure and what changed for a researcher, an artist and a business analyst once they understood the difference.
Read: Struggling with creative work doesn’t mean you’re failing
If you’ve ever been stuck on something and assumed the difficulty meant you should stop, I think you might recognise a lot of this. I hope you enjoy reading - I’d love to know what you think.
Keep writing,
Chris
P.S. If you’re a paying member of this newsletter, don’t forget to sign up to next week’s midsummer member meet up and live Q&A. Look forward to seeing you there!
Help us reach more writers - and win a coaching call with us
Our new podcast This Might Work has launched and we’re so proud of the conversations we’ve had - from Emma Gannon on creative dates to Mason Currey on ripping up your draft and getting funky.
If the podcast has given you something - an idea that stuck or a guest you’ve gone on to follow - we’d be so grateful if you’d take a minute to leave a review. It makes a real difference to how the show gets discovered and matters more than ever as we plan season two.
As a thank you, everyone who leaves a review and sends us a screenshot will be entered into a draw to win a signed copy of our book Written plus a 30-minute coaching call - a chance to bring whatever you’re working on, wherever you’re stuck.
To enter:
Leave a review - for an episode or the series - on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen.
Send a screenshot to hello@writtenacademy.com with the subject line ‘I reviewed it’.
We’ll draw a winner on the 8th of July.
Thank you - it means a lot.
Bec & Chris ❤️
Yes! I am also a marathoner trying to finish a book - and I reflect on this a lot. It is clear when the 15 miles are over on a long run - but might that chapter need one more edit? Sigh.
I love the distinction between our different responses when we encounter challenges depending on the task. I always try to remember that when it comes to writing, feeling lost is not a sign that you should abandon the project, it’s a sign that you’re deep in the work, and it’s an essential part of growth.