Stop Clenching: On Releasing the Physical Tension in Writing

By Michelle Webster-Hein

Throughout much of my life, I’ve been what I’ll term a “forcer.” That is, I have tended to set my mind to some end and then to force that desired outcome through sheer strength of will.

This has backfired for many reasons. For one thing, willpower wears out. For another thing, when one is focused only on moving forward, one fails to consider that one might be moving in the wrong direction.

Had I actually allowed myself, for example, to pause during college a...