Guest Post by Marietta Taylor

Dallas, thanks for hosting me today! I recently took a writers class online. One topic of discussion was things that derail your writing time. I'd like to share from the class one cool way to keep your writing on track.

Have you ever heard of gremlins? Gremlins are, by definition, mischievous imaginary creatures. As they apply to our writing, they can seem very real. And their effects can be damaging to our writing time. Gremlins are those activities or "voices" that derail our writing efforts. We begin with the best of intentions. But invariably, the gremlin shows up and starts making mischief. The first thing I learned was that to get rid of it, I had to first identify it.

My gremlin is the "you're not as good as" variety. It shows up and begins to say things like:

• Why even waste your time? You'll never be as good a writer as (insert favorite author here).
• If you're not going to be a bestseller like (insert NYT bestseller author here) then why even waste this time. You could be doing something else.
• There are already a million (insert type of book or article here) out there. Can you guarantee yours is going to be any better than the others?

When I listen to these statements, I start doubting myself and my writing session ends. Gremlin 1. Mari 0. That is not the margin of victory I'm looking for!

The next step to victory over the gremlin is to figure out ways to disarm it. For me that means having rebuttal statements ready. I fight back with statements like:

• I don't have to as good as anyone. I just need to be my best self while I write today.
• I write to inform, encourage and inspire. NYT Bestseller or not, as long as someone "gets it", my writing has succeeded.
• There are no guarantees in the writing business. All I need to do is put my unique stamp on my work and then let the readers decide if it resonates with them.

Having these statements ready has helped me keep my writing sessions on track. What are your gremlins? How can you disarm them? Give it a try and watch your writing soar!

* * *

Marietta (Mari) Taylor resides in Raleigh, NC with her husband of seventeen years and her two teenage daughters. The move from Chicago, IL to Raleigh proved a breeding ground for dusting off her dream of writing. Mari is the author of Surviving Unemployment Devotions to Go, released March 2010 and Girlfriends On…Surviving Unemployment. Mari was also published in Penned From The Heart VOL XV, a devotional anthology. Her column, Frugal Elegance, appears in Girlfriend 2 Girlfriend, an online magazine published by Extreme Diva Media.

Connect with Mari here:

Website: www.mariettataylor.net
Personal Blog: www.marismorningromm.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/raleighgirl
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marietta.taylor2

You can also buy Mari's book, Surviving Unemployment Devotions to Go:

Paperback:
http://shop.theextremediva.com/Surviving-Unemployment-Devotions-to-Go-6139.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Unemployment-Devotions-Marietta-Taylor/dp/1934626139/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1304686934&sr=1-1

Kindle Edition:
http://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Unemployment-Devotions-Go-ebook/dp/B004T3FPUE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1301968884&sr=1-1