Write Brain

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How to get your brain "right," so you can write, a podcast on the psychology of writing; how to deal with fear, the internal editor, writer's block, life block, and everything else getting in the way of you writing.

Mette Ivie Harrison


    • Apr 16, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 13m AVG DURATION
    • 144 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Write Brain

    Write Brain 3-27 The Humility to Start Over

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2021 12:09


    The number one trait of writers who get published.

    Write Brain 3-26 Believe in Yourself, Believe in Your Book

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2021 11:05


    But how do you believe in them? I know the secret magic.

    Write Brain 3-25 An Hour a Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2021 10:16


    Why I think it's important to commit to an hour a day. Even if I'm not currently able to do that myself.

    Write Brain 3-24 Head Space

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2021 12:33


    What helps you stay in the right head space for your writing and what--doesn't.

    Write Brain 3-23 Flashbacks and Stuff

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2021 11:42


    One of the most frequent problems I see in first chapters is flashbacks. Here's why I think you shouldn't do them there.

    Write Brain 3-22 Too Many Pots

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2021 11:00


    Sure, you can work on 10 things at once. Sure, that's not avoidance.

    Write Brain 3-21 Life Block

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2021 9:39


    What Life Block is and why it's different from Writer's Block.

    Write Brain 3-20 Taking Time Off

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2021 9:08


    If you hate your book? Time to take some time off, if you possibly can.

    Write Brain 3-19 POV and Tense Choices

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2021 9:06


    Some extremely opinionated thoughts about how to decide what pov character/s to use and what tense is right.

    Write Brain 3-18 Writing Schedule

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2021 13:56


    I've lived at least 3 lives as a writer, and I describe my various schedules and goal-setting procedures in each of them, including in my life now where I have a full time 9-5 job to work around, as well as evening and weekend work as a writing mentor.

    Write Brain 3-17 The First Page

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2021 12:04


    Why you should stop obsessing about the first page before you've done about 10 drafts. You're only going to know what the right first page is when all the other pieces are in place.

    Write Brain 3-16 10 Questions About Publishing

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2021 17:54


    Some basics about the publishing world that I always get asked.

    Write Brain 3-15 Why You're Stuck in the Middle

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2021 12:59


    This little chat will make you EXCITED to work through the murky middle. It's all about the dark night of the soul and making things worse.

    Write Brain 3-14 Bible For Your Book

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2021 20:27


    The 4 elements of a basic Book bible, and when you should start creating one.

    Write Brain 3-13 Dialogue

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2021 18:13


    When you write dialogue,  you need multiple layers. Here are what those layers are.

    Write Brain 3-12 Top 4 Ways to Fix Your Book

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2021 12:13


    After helping hundreds of writers with books, here are the top 4 ways I suggest to fix plot, character, and other issues.

    Write Brain 3-11 Top 3 Ways to Get Writing Again

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2021 8:22


    Not Writing? Here are some solutions to the top three problems keeping you from your writing.

    not writing
    Write Brain 3-10 Writing Emotion

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2021 9:44


    One of the biggest things new writers forget to do is add emotional reaction for their character each time something happens. Without this, the reader won't have their own emotional reaction.

    Write Brain 3-9 In Media Res

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2021 5:52


    Starting in media res does NOT mean with a battle scene. Some thoughts on why.

    Write Brain 3-8 Write in Scenes

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2021 7:41


    Fiction or non-fiction, you need to write in scene to make it feel real to the reader and to make them remember it.

    Write Brain 3-7 Set Small Goals

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2021 6:51


    How do you run a marathon? 100 steps at a time. How do you write a book? 100 words at a time. Small goals make your brain shut up about how impossible and scary it is.

    Write Brain For New Writers 6 27 Reasons Why

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2021 9:34


    Why aren't you writing the book you're meant to write? Here are 17 quick reasons I think you aren't getting to it.

    Write Brain for New Writers 5 Learning to Trust Yourself

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2021 10:39


    You can't outsource your pattern for creativity. It only comes from within. How to learn to trust yourself? Practice failure.

    Write Brain for New Writers 4 Getting Stuck vs Avoidance

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2021 9:54


    Are you writing and stopping or never getting to the writing part?

    Write Brain for New Writers 3: Indecision and Project Hopping

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2021 9:33


    This is just another form of procrastination, so you don't have to face the fear of failure.

    Write Brain For New Writers 2: Procrastination

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2021 10:50


    You don't think you're procrastinating, but I guarantee you are.

    Write Brain Season 3 for New Writers: Quit Before You Fail

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2021 12:02


    Your brain thinks that writing a book exposes you to a catastrophic life or death (of the ego) event and it will do everything it can to protect you from the fear of failure by telling you not to write. If you quit first, you will never fail. Or so your brain thinks. Some tricks here to deal with this, because it's going to be a lifelong battle. For more about my mentorships, go here: www.metteiviementorships.com

    Write Brain 90 What Will You Let Yourself Know

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2020 14:53


    Inspired by Alexander Chee's How to Write an Autobiographical Novel

    Write Brain 89 Art is Long

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2020 5:50


    You have time, my friend. You will finish your work.

    Write Brain 88 What Job is a Good Writer Job?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2020 6:15


    One that uses writing skills or completely different skills?

    Write Brain 87 Will I Be Creative Again

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2020 12:06


    Doubts as I commit more time and brain space to a job search.

    Write Brain 86 Divorce

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2020 4:36


    TMI about my life and my creative path moving forward.

    Write Brain 85 First Draft vs Final Draft

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2020 6:33


    Here's why a first draft shouldn't be a worse version of a final draft.

    Write Brain 84 Sunk Cost Fallacy

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2020 7:41


    Sometimes you have to let go all of the work you've put in on a project in order to reach for the even better version of it.

    Write Brain 83 A Safe Space For Yourself

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2020 6:56


    Only you can be a safe space to write the truest and most human truths in your life. 

    Write Brain 82 The Wild Storm

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2020 6:50


    I'm trying to let go of writing tame books and throw myself into the wild storm of creativity.

    Write Brain 81 Read a Book

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2020 8:34


    Have you considered reading a book as a solution to your creative problems?

    Write Brain 80 I'm a terrible writer

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2020 12:21


    Why am I such a terrible writer and other thoughts on revision.

    Write Brain 79 Journals

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2020 22:47


    A reminder that I am living the dream of my 13-14 year old self.

    Write Brain 78 Excuses

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2020 14:28


    A list of excuses your brain is surely giving you to keep you from writing.

    Write Brain 77 Writer's Therapist

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2020 10:57


    I think I've finally figured out what I want to do, outside of my own writing.

    Write Brain 76 Freedom to Write

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2020 7:35


    Being a little-known author has advantages; one of them is not writing to my audience.

    Write Brain 75 If You Build It

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2020 6:01


    The hardest part of being a writer is arguably waking up every and having the confidence to go back to the work that isn't quite there  yet. You have to believe in it, and yourself.

    Write Brain 74 Quit Before You Fail

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2020 8:10


    The temptation to give up because it is too hard is strong.

    Write Brain 73 When Things Go Wrong

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2020 8:25


    Learning to attune yourself to writer's block can be super helpful.

    Write Brain 72 Isn't It Great

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2020 12:23


    The fantasies about being your own boss are just that--fantasies. Another side of the difficulty of the creative life.

    Write Brain 71 How I Write

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2020 17:16


    What is it I do when I sit down and type in the words?

    Write Brain 69 Are You Aiming High?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2020 9:54


    You may achieve what you want as an artist, but is it enough?

    Write Brain 70 Ego and Creativity

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2020 7:13


    How wanting my ego to be stroked via my creativity is getting in the way of the real work.

    Write Brain 68 After the Thing

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2020 8:52


    The highs always lead to lows.

    Write Brain 67 Are You Doing the Work

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2020 17:48


    What counts as the work? Being human.

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