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Hello writing friend 👋

For years, bestselling author Cheryl Strayed was stuck – she didn’t write a thing. She judged herself harshly, thinking she wasn’t a ‘proper writer’. But one day she had a lightbulb moment, she'd been fooled by a myth.

Writers can spend a lot of time believing in myths and legends. Myths about how we should write, legends about what ‘proper’ writers are like and how they should behave. But these myths and legends are fictions - created by us.

Whatever myths you may believe in about writing or about yourself as a writer it's time to ditch the dogma. We explore how, on the blog.

Read the blog: Do you believe in writing myths?

Take care ❤️ Bec & Chris

PS. Hit reply and tell us if you'd like to be a beta reader for our book.

🚀 Want some writing rocket fuel?

We've fired the starting pistol on our March 7-Day Writing Sprint this week but don't worry if you've missed it, we have plenty more in the pipeline with sprints penned in for April, May and June - all free!

👉 Not a member of our sprint group? Join here for free
👉 Already a member and want to join a sprint? Log in here.

📈 Writing playbook: How to find your system

Your writing system is the personal collection of things you do (and don't do) that keeps you moving forward and stops you from stalling. So, how do you find one? It starts with noticing what helps and what hinders and with keeping an open mind:

🎯 Before you write, think about your goal

Do you set a word count goal, a time-based goal or a practice goal? What have you tried? What has worked before?

⚙️ Next, consider the obstacles in your path - make a simple plan

What obstacles might trip you up - think short term and long term. Is there a way you can avoid these distractions? What action could you take to identify them and move round them?

Then, as you write, notice two things:

👀 What holds you back...

What typically pulls you away or distracts you? Do you experience negative thoughts and feelings – when do these arise?

➡ What pushes you forward

What keeps YOU motivated? Other people, deadlines, bars of chocolate? What helps you relax, wind down or clear your head?

Read more about about writing systems here.

📚 What we're reading...

"In a world that's obsessed with fast hacks, quick wins and Instagram perfection, struggle has become taboo. A sign that something's gone horribly wrong. But what if we've got it wrong about getting it wrong?"

A refreshing take on struggle from productivity ninja Grace Marshall in her forthcoming book, Struggle: the surprising truth, beauty and opportunity hidden in life's sh*ttier moments.

I was a beta reader for this book and it got me thinking about struggle as a process and a partner for my own creativity. Pre-order the book

😍 3 things we love

#1. "Last night I had a dream about unloading the dishwasher": How novelists' creativity is being impacted by lockdown - helpful for all types of writers. Read the article.

#2. Magical memorable manifestos: 10 rules to live by from creatives with something to say from WePresent. "Nothing is impossible" says Yuri Suzuki with soundtrack and graphics to inspire. See them all.

#3. "Those imaginary un-lazy writers who haunt me" A wonderful meditation on what it means to be lazy in this Tiny Letter from Jaime Green. Read The Laziness Doctrine.

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🤷 Reading this for the first time?

The Wednesday Workout is an email newsletter from writing productivity coaches Bec Evans and Chris Smith, co-founders of Prolifiko.

Subscribe to get fortnightly coaching tips and advice and news of our latest coaching plans and courses. When you do we'll send you a free coaching plan The Distracted Writer's Guide to Finding Focus. Find out more about Prolifiko.