In your creative practice, are you struggling with something you resist doing? This struggle point might be a difficult theme you want to address in a story. Maybe you don’t feel like going to your next critique group meeting or you dread reading a peer’s manuscript.

Take some time to think about the task you’d rather avoid, as well as your feelings about it. Then contemplate why you signed up for the job. Why did you decide to tackle this subject in your writing? Why did you agree to critique a friend’s writing?

Is your purpose to share what you’ve learned about a difficult topic or create fiction that could help someone else work through a personal experience by engaging with your story? Is your purpose to help your friend become the best writer they can be?

If you have a good purpose for agreeing to this task, despite your resistance, commit to doing it. It’s ok to feel what you feel, but use your purpose to power through.