Overcome Writer's Block & Write With Confidence
What you'll learn
- Overcome writer's block.
- Understand the difference between writing well versus falling into an abyss of perfectionism.
- Write with greater confidence.
- Enjoy writing more.
- Eliminate self-destructive thoughts that are hindering your writing progress and success.
- Significantly increase your writing productivity, and write more – and better – in less time than before.
- Keep writing to the fullest of your abilities, even on days when writing doesn't feel good.
Requirements
- This course is designed for writers of all skill levels and all genres. Some paper and something to write with are helpful in order to do the optional journaling exercises.
Description
Be a more productive, more confident, more successful, happier writer than you’ve ever been before!
Lots of courses teach you how to improve your writing skills, but nearly all of them miss a critical issue writers must master if they want to succeed: the unique mental challenges that are at play when we write.
From writer’s block and critical self-talk to distractions and time management, from feeling too close to our words in the editing process to insecurities beginning freelancers and new authors face in getting published, writing is full of emotional and psychological hurdles that can drag down our success and our happiness, no matter how skillful we are at crafting our words.
They can also stifle our ability to write and become better writers. They can riddle us with self-doubt and trick us into believing a story we tell ourselves: “My writing isn’t good enough, and it’s never going to be good enough” – when that story simply isn’t true.
Welcome to the first course in a new, groundbreaking series of workshops on the psychology of writing, and the mental and emotional challenges writers face.
Taught by writing coach, bestselling author, and professional travel writer Dave Fox, this particular workshop – part one in our series – focuses on writer’s block, self-criticism, emotional overwhelm when writing, and how to write about personally difficult topics.
We’ll explore:
What writer’s block really is, what it isn’t, and ways to overcome it.
Why some writers are considered “gifted” and how you can become one of them.
How to tame your “inner bully” – that gremlin in your head who whispers demoralizing things to you when you write – things you would never say to anyone else.
Writer’s jealousy: Comparing ourselves to other writers can ignite or stifle our success, depending on what we tell ourselves.
How to write when writing doesn’t feel good.
How to start writing again if you’ve been in a rut.
Writing about emotionally sensitive topics, and deciding how much about yourself to reveal.
Writer’s overwhelm: From too many ideas and not enough time, to stories that branch off on too many tangents, to the daunting task of starting and finishing books and other large projects.
Understanding the difference between “perfect” and “good enough,” and establishing a sane middle ground so you can get your good work out there and be more productive.
Unlike many Udemy courses you just download and watch, this course is interactive. It includes hands-on journaling exercises to help you get to the root of your biggest mental challenges. In the forums, you’ll be encouraged to share your thoughts and experiences with other writers, to commiserate and share strategies for success – kind of like group therapy but more fun!
Dave teaches with a mix of practical advice, motivation and encouragement, and a sprinkling of tough love to get your words moving. He laces it all together with anecdotes and experiences from his life as a travel writer and bestselling author, and shares his personal journey to becoming a more confident, more productive, happier writer who tripled his hourly freelance income with one client after making one simple change in the way he approached his writing.
Get on track and write to your fullest potential!
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why your writing wasn’t “good enough,” or worrying whether it was ever going to be “good enough;” if you’ve ever thrown secret mini-tantrums as you stared at your word processor, frustrated that your words weren’t coming out the way you wanted them to; if you’ve ever felt stuck, stalled, or anxious about what you were writing or how you were writing it; if you’ve ever wondered if writing could be easier and more fun; this course will help you unravel the clogs in your brain and write to your fullest potential.
(And if you wrestle with challenges such as distraction, organization, time management, editing insecurities, publishing fears, and a long list of other mental challenges that nearly all writers face at one point or another, check out course number two in this series – "Overcome Writing Distractions: Stop Procrastinating and Write!")
Sometimes, writing is hard. That’s a reality all writers face. But it doesn’t have to be a confidence crusher. Knowing how to write to the best of your ability, how to keep growing your skills to new levels, and how to keep writing on days when you’re feeling uncertain, will make writing feel lighter and less arduous.
So join us in this fun, high-energy workshop designed to help you tame your mental writing beasts, and become the writer you deserve to be – because you’ve got stories to tell and there are readers out there who are waiting to read them.
Dave Fox is dedicated to your success and he’s here to help. So sign up today and become a more productive, more confident, more successful, happier writer than you’ve ever been before!
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"(Dave is) the best writing teacher I have ever had. Talented, funny, approachable, and structured."
– Leslie in Surrey, England
"Dave Fox is an amazing teacher who will give you online feedback as if you were sitting right next to him."
– Joan in Bakersfield, California
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Also check out my other courses on Udemy:
The Writing Mind 2: Overcome Distractions & Get More Written
Globejotting: How to Write Extraordinary Travel Journals (and still have time to enjoy your trip!)
Travel Writing: Explore the World and Publish Your Stories
Deep Travel: Have Adventures No Guidebook Can Tell You About
Professional Humor Tricks for Writers, Speakers, and Other Misfits
Who this course is for:
- This course is for anyone who wants to become a more productive, more successful, more confident, and happier writer. It is designed for anyone who struggles with writer's block, doubts about their writing in general, or fears about writing about particular topics.
- It is for writers and aspiring writers who are feeling stuck, and who want to achieve higher levels of writing success.
- It's a course for people who like writing but want to like it more, who feel frustrated or overwhelmed by certain aspects of the writing process, who want to make writing a less painful, more fun, and more productive experience.
- This course is *NOT* for people who say they want to be writers but are not willing to challenge themselves to reach their goals. If you're confused about whether or not this might be you, please watch lecture number two – "Are you sure you want to be a writer?" – for FREE before signing up! It's a fun (true) story about saying you want to write versus actually wanting to write.
Featured review
Instructor
Dave Fox is on a mission to help people tell scintillating stories. He's a professional travel and humor writer, a writing and humor coach, a chronic storyteller, and the author of two bestselling books. Dave thrives on stepping outside of his cultural comfort zones in search of adventures and misadventures. He also makes really good sandwiches if you ask him nicely.
Originally from the United States, Dave started travel journaling at age seven when his family moved to England for a year. During that time, he developed an obsession with foreign cultures, which eventually morphed into his travel writing career. He also developed a British accent, which eventually morphed back to a mostly-American accent, but he respects your right to spell "humour" with that extra "U" if it makes you happy.
Dave's love for humo(u)r writing evolved in early adulthood when he discovered office memos didn't have to be boring. He fled nine-to-five life in 2001 on a mission to expand beyond office memos, and published his first book of travel-humor essays three years later after winning the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop Book Proposal Contest. He has been teaching writing workshops for more than 20 years. He has been making sandwiches even longer.
Dave has worked as a Public Radio news anchor, a tour guide for Rick Steves' Europe, an international cruise ship lecturer, and an iguana groomer. (Okay, not really an iguana groomer. Iguanas get cranky when you try to groom them.) His work has been featured on the History Channel, Channel NewsAsia, and national radio broadcasts in the US and Australia. He has also been an opening speaker for Princess Märtha Louise of Norway. (True story: When the princess told Dave he spoke excellent Norwegian, Dave replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty. So do you.")
For 16 years, Dave guided tours around Europe for Rick Steves' travel company. He has lived in the US, England, Norway, and Turkey and Singapore. He currently lives in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where he works as the Vietnam correspondent for TTG Asia and freelances for a variety of other publications including the Straits Times of Singapore, and Singapore Airlines' magazine and website. His work has also appeared in books by Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, Travelers' Tales, and the 2014 Moon Guide to Burma.
Dave's own books, Getting Lost: Mishaps of an Accidental Nomad, and Globejotting: How to Write Extraordinary Travel Journals (and still have time to enjoy your trip!), have both been Amazon travel bestsellers. He is currently working on a new book, The Ghosts of Bui Vien Street, about modern life in Ho Chi Minh City.
Dave shares his travel tales, humor essays, and writing advice on his website. (Please see below for the link.) He is available for one-on-one writing and life coaching via Skype, phone, and in person.