I grip the wheel tightly as I race down the freeway, feeling like I’m about to lose control.
There’s a big rig to my right, a cement barrier to my left, and a lifted pickup riding my rear bumper. My car gets tossed left and right as I keep correcting and bringing it back in line with my lane.
Just a few inches each time, but it’s a constant struggle to keep my vehicle heading in a direction where it won’t hit anything.
Left, pull it back. Right, pull it back. Left, don’t hit the debris on the shoulder. Right, don’t get smashed by the truck.
I wish I could say I was out at the Las Vegas Speedway practicing with the NASCAR drivers. But no, it’s just the regular interstate at the south end of the valley.
This is just a “normal” commute from my senior copywriter job to my house, where I’m about to do a radio interview in my home studio.
But today, there’s a wind advisory in effect. And daaaaamn, does that desert wind toss my car around! It’s so strong!
Luckily, I’ve been driving for almost as long as I’ve been writing. Like 40 years now (shhhhh… I didn’t say that).
But I know what I’m doing behind the wheel.
Just like I know what I’m doing behind the keyboard. Most of the time.
Of course, just like it’s sometimes hard to control my car when I’m fighting the forces of nature, it can also feel like I’m losing control of my writing abilities when fighting the forces of brain fog.
When people talk about writer’s block, they’re usually just struggling against themselves. But I find that the more I know myself, the easier it is to overcome.
It’s taken years to get to know my own strengths and weaknesses, speedways and roadblocks.
And just like on the freeway I might occasionally think, “Oh, crap! That was close!” I can also get the same feeling when it’s time to write.
What does correcting your direction and pulling yourself back on target look like when writing?
Deleting a paragraph. Changing a verb because I already used that one. Resetting the tone to align with the rest of the piece. Taking a breath. (Possibly the most important one!)
Driving in wind doesn’t mean you let go of the wheel. It means you adjust more deliberately.
And writing under pressure means the same thing.
You just need the right steering aids.
The most powerful tools I’ve found lately are in my Writing Personality Toolkit. You have yours, and it’s a good primer into your own type, as well as how to best tap into your writing superpowers.
The corresponding Power-Up Cheat Sheet is also a good tool because it tells you how to boost your results.
And finally, the Writing Personality UnVALEd Playbook gives you the full scope, including how your primary and secondary types can work together.
Because you want them working together… not tossing you around like a car on a dark desert highway with cool wind in your hair.
It wasn’t dark when I was driving home, but still.
The Writerverse also isn’t a place you can never leave. But I hope it’s a place you never want to leave.
The Writing Personality Test is a great starting point.
Write on,
Heather Vale
Helping you UnVALE your superpowers and navigate the Writerverse
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