Working Through Shame & Emotional Resistance in Writing

I've been reflecting a lot on the relationship between desire and shame, so a recent question from a reader felt especially timely: How do you overcome the emotional resistance and shame that keep you from starting a writing practice?

This is such a good question, though I’m not sure what the resistance/shame in question is doing—like, is it preventing you from writing, period? Or is this around a certain topic? Whatever the case, I have a few suggestions that might help. 

1. Focus on building self-trust. Start with a small, manageable commitment, like writing a paragraph each day, journaling daily, or even just writing a sentence five days a week. The key is to start small but stay consistent. As you build confidence, gradually increase your commitment. This steady practice can help strengthen your self-trust, which in turn can reduce the impact of shame.

2. Turn to craft, genre, style—something preset that gives you a particular focus, a structure you can work within. For example, writing flash fiction—short stories that unfold in 750 words or less (and sometimes 500 or less)—can help you start writing fiction without trying to dive into longer pieces. Or, try writing something in second person. Write a letter. Write a poem in the form of a list. 

3. Find a writer doing work you admire and learn what you can about their practice, style, influences, etc. Start mimicking their writing or their practice. Sometimes when I’m stuck I will take a favorite book off my shelves and sit down at my computer to transcribe it until I feel unstuck. 

4. On the woo side of things: create a ritual that you follow each time you sit down to write. Work with a deity or planet. Do shadow work around the shame that comes up specifically related to writing. 

5. Take classes, join workshops, find a writing group, work one-on-one with someone. Do whatever you can to get out of your own head and surround yourself with other writers. You need encouragement and support—and as a general rule, writers are a supportive, inspiring bunch. 

6. Cultivate your intuition. While this is a long-term goal, it’s incredibly valuable both in creating art and in navigating life. As you strengthen and learn to trust your intuition, you’ll find that writing becomes easier, along with trusting in your ability to create.

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