Monthly Archives: June 2024

Recently, I was chatting with a writer I know who is results-oriented to the extreme. He proceeds by tackling and completing tasks in a linear, structured way. He swears by detailed outlines, story-arc schematics, and rich character tables.

He confessed that he was dealing with writer’s block.

“I don’t get it,” he said. “I know exactly where my novel is going, and how my main character will overcome a critical internal conflict. I even have the final dramatic scene laid out in bullet points! But I can’t seem to get writing. I’ve set goals for myself, but all my deadlines have flown past—whoosh! It’s totally frustrating.”

Sounds like it’s time for my friend to try a curiosity challenge.

A curiosity challenge is a mindset technique — suggested by one of our blog readers — that can help you get out of a writing slump. I’m trying it myself this month, to help me address creative anxiety, re-kindle my passion for writing, and get back into a regular writing practice.

All that a curiosity challenge involves is the reframing of a goal statement into a curiosity question. It’s simple and powerful. Instead of setting a rigid word-count goal or deadline for yourself, try turning it into an experiment.

Frame your experiment with phrases like: “I’m curious if…” or “Is it possible to…” or “I wonder if…” or even “Wouldn’t it be cool to…”

Here are some examples:

Instead of saying this…	…try this.
I have to wake up extra-early all week so I can meet my word-count goal!	I’m curious if I can get up an hour early every day this week and write before my kids get up.
The only way I can make this submission deadline is if I write the whole thing this long weekend!	Is it possible to write 10,000 words over one long weekend?
I have to focus on this chapter and finish it before I can move on with my novel!	I wonder if I could write a scene from my main character’s dog’s perspective?
My revised chapter 1 is due to my writing group in less than a month!	Wouldn’t it be cool to share a revised draft of chapter 1 with my writing group next month?

This approach takes the fear of failure out of the equation. If you’re anxious about not being able to achieve a writing goal or getting derailed, remove the anxiety by eliminating the high-pressure stakes.

If you’re finding yourself stuck or blocked or bored, bring this curiosity perspective to your writing. Don’t plan; play. Be bold. Explore a possibility. Do something new just to see if you can. Broaden your understanding of what you can achieve by trying something out.

Be ever-curious and challenge yourself with a not-so-serious approach. You’ll be surprised by how this simple hack can give your creativity a kick-start.

Are you going to give the curiosity challenge a try?

Maria

P.S.: June 2024 marks the 15th anniversary of the first blog post we ever published as the Restless Writers. (!) This is a super-exciting milestone and we are planning some fun ways to celebrate. Thanks to our readers for being here, and kudos to all our fellow writers who are on their own creative journeys.