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The concept of anchoring from Neuro-Linguistic-Programming (NLP) provides us with the ability to access the most powerful and appropriate state for a particular activity and then be able to get into that state at will. This is something which has helped me to write quickly and efficiently. It also transformed my ability to make presentations when on my first few attempts my nervousness and lack of confidence led me to shake, sweat and flee the stage in terror afterwards. Setting a positive anchor helped me to confront my fears and learn to communicate effectively. All of us have certain sights, sounds or

At nine I decided to learn to swim and it was a good test for my grit and resilience. There was no swimming pool nearby and the only option was the local river. Fed from mountain springs it was ice cold, dark and murky. This did not deter me or my friends. Nor did insect bites or even a dead sheep which had fallen in and drowned up stream and floated by lifeless  as we practiced our strokes. By the end of the summer I had abandoned my flotation device and could swim from one side to the other. I now

" Journaling grants us unfiltered access to the rough gems of our own minds, ordinarily dismissed by the self-censorship of formal writing. " Virginia Woolf Keeping a journal has many positive benefits and can help personal growth and development and actively promote our mental wellness. By regularly recording our thoughts we can gain insight into our behaviours and mood. Many people treat journaling as something they " know they should do" but rarely ever take up or keep up the practice but what are the real benefits of writing down the " rough gems of our own minds " that Woolf refers to

“Treat feedback as a gift rather than as a slap in the face.” Frank Sonnenberg-Soul Food: Change Your Thinking, Change Your life Constructive feedback can help any writer irrespective of their talent or abilities. Any writer who wants to be published needs to be able to take on board criticism and even the best writers out there can benefit from a fresh pair of eyes on their work. Often writers will post pieces of their work in progress (WIP) online for comment, show their work to a family member or be asked in a workshop to provide feedback to others. This is a

Deliberate practice is a highly structured activity with the specific goal of improving performance. The work of K Anders Erickson, Malcom Gladwell, Geoff Colvin, Matthew Syed and Cal Newport among others focus on the importance of deliberate practice in improving performance and it is cited as the reason for many great sporting and musical achievements. My first experience of this was when as a small child I was encouraged to play the violin. My teacher suggested I practice for one hour a day. The screeching and scraping of the bow across the strings led my parents to invest in ear plugs but

Stoicism provides some amazing insights for writer's and was practised by among others Epictetus, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. Its basic philosophy is that the way we live should be based on our behaviour and not our words. It reminds us that the world is unpredictable, it demonstrates how brief our moment of life is and how we can teach ourselves to be steadfast, strong and in control of ourselves, whatever it is we face. It teaches us to contemplate and prepare for the things than can happen to us in life and argues that the most important thing is staying in the

Dorothea Brande’s book Becoming a Writer is an inspirational masterpiece. It is remarkable that this book was first published in 1934 and don’t let the fact it talks about typewriters and stationery stores put you off. It is as relevant for writers today as it has ever been. It has had a profound effect on my writing practice and many of the principles it outlines are key to the Your Writing Brain approach. It asks us to confront our doubts and fears and get our minds in a place to be productive. Her approach is not about teaching someone to write

Pseudo working is all about engaging in activities that look like work but don’t produce much. This is a common issue for writers as conducting research and using social media are all part of the writer’s world and it is easy to get distracted with non-writing activities. The pressure to be more productive has a lot of us swept up in a mad fit of doing. Taking steps and actions and going nowhere very fast without reflecting on what our writing goals are and if there is a better way of achieving them. I have often tried to juggle multiple writing tasks at

Keeping a journal has many positive benefits and can help with personal growth and development. By regularly recording your thoughts you will gain insight into your behaviours and mood. Many people treat journaling as something they “know they should do” but rarely ever take up or keep up the practice but what are the real benefits of writing down your thoughts? You can gain clarity and a heightened self-awareness, learn what makes you happy and confident and what situations and people are difficult for you. It can help you build empathy, look at things objectively and better understand other’s points of