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Welcome to the inside creative writing podcast.
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The weekly discussion of craft and technique for
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writers of fiction and creative nonfiction.
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And now here's your host,
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writer and educator,
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Brad Reed. Episode
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37. Today, we're talking about resistance to writing
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and how it can so easily disguise itself
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as productivity.
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Sadly,
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it's also our podcast farewell.
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Welcome back to the Inside Creative Writing podcast.
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My name is Brad Reed and I wanna
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thank you for choosing to spend part of
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your day with me today to talk about
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writing.
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Now, today is not going to be your
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typical episode. We're not going to be getting
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into wise words or weekly challenges and all
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that because today is,
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sad to announce the last episode of the
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Inside Creative Writing podcast,
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at least for the foreseeable future.
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And before I get into the reasons why,
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I wanna take a moment to thank you.
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The listeners and the fans of the show,
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thank you for being so great and so
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supportive,
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especially those of you who joined the Patreon
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team.
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I mean, it's one thing just to listen
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to the show. It's a whole different level
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of support
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to use some of your hard earned money
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to show us that you valued the show.
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It's really thanks to all of you that,
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pulling the plug on the podcast is so
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difficult for me to do today.
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I wanna talk about resistance in our final
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few moments together.
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Much of what I'm going to talk about
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today comes from a great book called The
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War of Art by Steven Pressfield. You really
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should pick up a copy if you've never
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read this book. I'll have a link to
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it in the show notes. Now it's been
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quite a few years,
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since I've read this book but its insights
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and its lessons have stuck with me till
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this day. They're always kind of in the
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back of my mind. And the basic premise
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of the book is this, that art, any
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kind of art
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is kind of a war against resistance.
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And this resistance can take a huge number
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of forms.
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We recognize this resistance easily when it comes
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in the form of,
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the full time job that robs us of
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our time and our energy to write, right?
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We recognize that as resistance
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to getting our art created, to get our
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writing done.
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We recognize it when it's, comes in the
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form of writer's block that freezes
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our progress.
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But resistance is actually all around us at
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all times.
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It's pernicious,
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it's constant,
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and it's often invisible
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until we
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really really look for it closely.
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The most damaging form of resistance, at least
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for me, is the resistance that comes disguised
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as something productive.
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Even something helpful and good.
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Let me give you an example. So, Twitter
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is a great place to meet other writers.
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To network, to find inspiration and motivation to
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sit down and write. I found some great
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friends and writing role models on Twitter.
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So, yes, there are great benefits to joining
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the writing community on Twitter but if you
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take a step back
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it becomes clear that it is essentially
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a form of resistance
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to getting your art done.
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It's something to get in the way of
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you putting pen to paper or fingers to
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keyboard
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and making the words happen. We can easily
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convince ourselves
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that our time on something like Twitter or
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other social media is productive and even furthering
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our writing careers. And, it may actually be
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to some extent.
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But, most of it is just disguised resistance.
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Keeping you from creating your art. Now, does
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that mean I'm swearing off Twitter and I'm
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encouraging encouraging you to swear off social media?
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No, I'm not. Right? But what I'm trying
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to do for myself is to be a
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lot more intentional
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about how and when
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and why I use it.
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Because I recognize it as a form of
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resistance
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and I don't, give into it. At least
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not, to the level that I once did.
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So, another disguised form of resistance can actually
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be,
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reading about and listening to podcasts
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about how to become a better writer.
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Now, do those things improve your craft? Absolutely.
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Right?
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Are they an important way to stay motivated
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and keep improving your skills? Well, for sure
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they are.
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But can they become a method of resistance
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to keep you from actually creating your art?
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And the answer is absolutely they can.
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So does that mean that I'm swearing off
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reading books about writing or listening to great
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podcasts about writing? No.
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But I'm always leery
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and watching for when the scales,
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tip
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from providing a benefit to simply being a
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distraction or a form of resistance that gets
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in the way of my writing.
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And that brings us to the main reason
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that I've made the decision to discontinue the
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podcast, at least for the time being. Now,
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I love doing it. Don't get me wrong
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about that. And I really do believe that
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it helps people
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improve their craft
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and that it's a worthwhile use of my
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time. But
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at the end of the day,
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I have to ask myself, is it the
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highest
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use of my time? Is it on some
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level a form of resistance?
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Not only for me,
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but for the people who choose to listen
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to it as well.
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And more and more it's become obvious to
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me that it has tipped the scales from
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being beneficial
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to being a distracting form of resistance.
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For the last few episodes, I've kept track
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of the time I've spent writing, recording, producing,
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distributing the podcast, doing all the artwork for
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it. And all that time has eclipsed the
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time that I've actually spent writing, actually working
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on my own art.
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So I toyed with the idea of, just
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simplifying the format,
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streamlining the production, and actually spent quite a
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bit of time thinking through this process. And
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realized that that was just another form of
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resistance. Right? That I was spending even more
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time not writing
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by spending time trying to figure out how
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to spend more time writing, if that makes
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any sense. That's how pernicious resistance is. Right?
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It hides, it disguises itself
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as these productive things.
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So I can't say that I'm happy about
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this decision.
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And if the email and and notes I've
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received from you guys over the time I've
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been doing this podcast or any indication,
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a lot of you won't be happy about
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it either. And for that, I sincerely
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apologize.
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But that's the thing about overcoming resistance.
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It's almost never a fair fight. I mean,
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if my main resistance was,
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a choice between either writing or doing the
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dishes, I mean, the writing would win every
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time. Right? No contest.
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But resistance is smart.
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Right? Resistance
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is effective.
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Resistance is really fucking good
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at what it does.
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So, it comes disguised as things that look
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smart. Things that look enjoyable and productive
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and worthwhile.
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And for me, it comes in the form
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of the hours of time and creative energy
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that goes into this podcast instead of into
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my writing.
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So I hope you'll understand
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where I'm at on this. And honestly,
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I hope you'll make it an opportunity to
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look at your own writing life
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and see where this subtle resistance has clawed
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its way into your schedule and into your
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priorities.
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I guarantee it's there. It's there for all
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of us.
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And this is a lifelong battle of the
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artist. Right? That's why Pressfields call Pressfield
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calls his book, The War of Art. Because
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it's a constant war to overcome
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that resistance that is always pulling us away
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from our work.
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Now, having said all this, I am an
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educator at heart. I feel like I'm just
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born to teach people. Right? I have a
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compulsion to teach, to share insights and discoveries
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with people who I feel I can use
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them. I can't
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not do that in some way.
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So, what I'm going to be doing is
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challenging,
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my kind of teacher's heart in a couple
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of different different directions other than the podcast.
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First of all,
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and primarily into my classes that I teach
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in person.
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They deserve the best of what I have
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to give.
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But also into the, weekly newsletter that I
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launched a few weeks ago. Yes. It's a
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different format. It's not
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nearly so intimate, not nearly so flexible.
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But it's still,
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an opportunity to stay connected with you guys
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and share
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what I'm excited about when it comes to
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writing. What I'm learning, what I'm discovering, what
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I'm thinking about, and what I can, hopefully
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share
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to benefit your writing journey. So I hope
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you'll subscribe to that. Head on over to
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bradreedwrites.com.
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You'll see the subscribe
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links there. You know, I can also still
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envision doing the occasional video or,
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audio recording that I'll release through the website
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and announce in the newsletter, but it can't
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be anything like the weekly commitment I've made
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with this podcast.
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I mean, besides, there are so many incredible
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podcasts out there now when there really weren't
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that many when I started this. And I'll
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be sharing some of those recommendations as well
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through the newsletter. Not only great shows that
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I love to listen to, but specific episodes
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that really strike me as as,
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particularly
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valuable.
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So with that, we're gonna wrap it up
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for this week, and that's actually gonna wrap
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it up for the Inside Creative Writing podcast.
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I hope you'll remember that the best way
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to improve your craft is by writing. That's
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what I'm off to go do, and I
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hope you're off to do the same. Let's
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get some words on paper, and I hope
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we can meet up on Twitter,
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through my newsletter and through the website at
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bradreedwrites.com.
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Thank you. Thank you. Thank you
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for listening to the show. It's been my
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honor
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to have spent this time with you.
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Welcome to the inside creative writing podcast.
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The weekly discussion of craft and technique for
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writers of fiction and creative nonfiction.
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And now here's your host,
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writer and educator,
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Brad Reed. Episode
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37. Today, we're talking about resistance to writing
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and how it can so easily disguise itself
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as productivity.
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Sadly,
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it's also our podcast farewell.
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Welcome back to the Inside Creative Writing podcast.
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My name is Brad Reed and I wanna
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thank you for choosing to spend part of
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your day with me today to talk about
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writing.
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Now, today is not going to be your
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typical episode. We're not going to be getting
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into wise words or weekly challenges and all
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that because today is,
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sad to announce the last episode of the
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Inside Creative Writing podcast,
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at least for the foreseeable future.
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And before I get into the reasons why,
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I wanna take a moment to thank you.
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The listeners and the fans of the show,
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thank you for being so great and so
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supportive,
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especially those of you who joined the Patreon
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team.
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I mean, it's one thing just to listen
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to the show. It's a whole different level
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of support
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to use some of your hard earned money
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to show us that you valued the show.
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It's really thanks to all of you that,
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pulling the plug on the podcast is so
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difficult for me to do today.
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I wanna talk about resistance in our final
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few moments together.
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Much of what I'm going to talk about
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today comes from a great book called The
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War of Art by Steven Pressfield. You really
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should pick up a copy if you've never
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read this book. I'll have a link to
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it in the show notes. Now it's been
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quite a few years,
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since I've read this book but its insights
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and its lessons have stuck with me till
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this day. They're always kind of in the
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back of my mind. And the basic premise
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of the book is this, that art, any
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kind of art
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is kind of a war against resistance.
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And this resistance can take a huge number
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of forms.
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We recognize this resistance easily when it comes
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in the form of,
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the full time job that robs us of
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our time and our energy to write, right?
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We recognize that as resistance
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to getting our art created, to get our
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writing done.
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We recognize it when it's, comes in the
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form of writer's block that freezes
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our progress.
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But resistance is actually all around us at
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all times.
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It's pernicious,
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it's constant,
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and it's often invisible
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until we
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really really look for it closely.
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The most damaging form of resistance, at least
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for me, is the resistance that comes disguised
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as something productive.
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Even something helpful and good.
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Let me give you an example. So, Twitter
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is a great place to meet other writers.
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To network, to find inspiration and motivation to
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sit down and write. I found some great
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friends and writing role models on Twitter.
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So, yes, there are great benefits to joining
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the writing community on Twitter but if you
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take a step back
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it becomes clear that it is essentially
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a form of resistance
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to getting your art done.
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It's something to get in the way of
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you putting pen to paper or fingers to
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keyboard
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and making the words happen. We can easily
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convince ourselves
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that our time on something like Twitter or
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other social media is productive and even furthering
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our writing careers. And, it may actually be
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to some extent.
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But, most of it is just disguised resistance.
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Keeping you from creating your art. Now, does
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that mean I'm swearing off Twitter and I'm
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encouraging encouraging you to swear off social media?
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No, I'm not. Right? But what I'm trying
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to do for myself is to be a
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lot more intentional
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about how and when
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and why I use it.
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Because I recognize it as a form of
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resistance
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and I don't, give into it. At least
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not, to the level that I once did.
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So, another disguised form of resistance can actually
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be,
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reading about and listening to podcasts
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about how to become a better writer.
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Now, do those things improve your craft? Absolutely.
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Right?
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Are they an important way to stay motivated
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and keep improving your skills? Well, for sure
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they are.
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But can they become a method of resistance
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to keep you from actually creating your art?
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And the answer is absolutely they can.
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So does that mean that I'm swearing off
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reading books about writing or listening to great
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podcasts about writing? No.
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But I'm always leery
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and watching for when the scales,
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tip
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from providing a benefit to simply being a
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distraction or a form of resistance that gets
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in the way of my writing.
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And that brings us to the main reason
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that I've made the decision to discontinue the
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podcast, at least for the time being. Now,
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I love doing it. Don't get me wrong
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about that. And I really do believe that
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it helps people
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improve their craft
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and that it's a worthwhile use of my
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time. But
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at the end of the day,
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I have to ask myself, is it the
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highest
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use of my time? Is it on some
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level a form of resistance?
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Not only for me,
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but for the people who choose to listen
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to it as well.
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And more and more it's become obvious to
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me that it has tipped the scales from
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being beneficial
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to being a distracting form of resistance.
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For the last few episodes, I've kept track
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of the time I've spent writing, recording, producing,
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distributing the podcast, doing all the artwork for
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it. And all that time has eclipsed the
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time that I've actually spent writing, actually working
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on my own art.
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So I toyed with the idea of, just
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simplifying the format,
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streamlining the production, and actually spent quite a
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bit of time thinking through this process. And
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realized that that was just another form of
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resistance. Right? That I was spending even more
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time not writing
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by spending time trying to figure out how
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to spend more time writing, if that makes
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any sense. That's how pernicious resistance is. Right?
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It hides, it disguises itself
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as these productive things.
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So I can't say that I'm happy about
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this decision.
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And if the email and and notes I've
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received from you guys over the time I've
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been doing this podcast or any indication,
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a lot of you won't be happy about
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it either. And for that, I sincerely
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apologize.
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But that's the thing about overcoming resistance.
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It's almost never a fair fight. I mean,
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if my main resistance was,
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a choice between either writing or doing the
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dishes, I mean, the writing would win every
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time. Right? No contest.
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But resistance is smart.
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Right? Resistance
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is effective.
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Resistance is really fucking good
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at what it does.
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So, it comes disguised as things that look
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smart. Things that look enjoyable and productive
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and worthwhile.
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And for me, it comes in the form
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of the hours of time and creative energy
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that goes into this podcast instead of into
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my writing.
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So I hope you'll understand
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where I'm at on this. And honestly,
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I hope you'll make it an opportunity to
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look at your own writing life
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and see where this subtle resistance has clawed
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its way into your schedule and into your
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priorities.
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I guarantee it's there. It's there for all
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of us.
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And this is a lifelong battle of the
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artist. Right? That's why Pressfields call Pressfield
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calls his book, The War of Art. Because
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it's a constant war to overcome
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that resistance that is always pulling us away
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from our work.
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Now, having said all this, I am an
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educator at heart. I feel like I'm just
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born to teach people. Right? I have a
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compulsion to teach, to share insights and discoveries
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with people who I feel I can use
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them. I can't
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not do that in some way.
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So, what I'm going to be doing is
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challenging,
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my kind of teacher's heart in a couple
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of different different directions other than the podcast.
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First of all,
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and primarily into my classes that I teach
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in person.
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They deserve the best of what I have
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to give.
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But also into the, weekly newsletter that I
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launched a few weeks ago. Yes. It's a
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different format. It's not
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nearly so intimate, not nearly so flexible.
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But it's still,
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an opportunity to stay connected with you guys
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and share
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what I'm excited about when it comes to
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writing. What I'm learning, what I'm discovering, what
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I'm thinking about, and what I can, hopefully
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share
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to benefit your writing journey. So I hope
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you'll subscribe to that. Head on over to
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bradreedwrites.com.
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You'll see the subscribe
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links there. You know, I can also still
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envision doing the occasional video or,
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audio recording that I'll release through the website
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and announce in the newsletter, but it can't
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be anything like the weekly commitment I've made
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with this podcast.
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I mean, besides, there are so many incredible
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podcasts out there now when there really weren't
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that many when I started this. And I'll
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be sharing some of those recommendations as well
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through the newsletter. Not only great shows that
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I love to listen to, but specific episodes
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that really strike me as as,
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particularly
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valuable.
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So with that, we're gonna wrap it up
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for this week, and that's actually gonna wrap
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it up for the Inside Creative Writing podcast.
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I hope you'll remember that the best way
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to improve your craft is by writing. That's
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what I'm off to go do, and I
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hope you're off to do the same. Let's
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get some words on paper, and I hope
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we can meet up on Twitter,
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through my newsletter and through the website at
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bradreedwrites.com.
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Thank you. Thank you. Thank you
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for listening to the show. It's been my
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honor
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to have spent this time with you.
