I struggled with separating the concepts of Fiction Farming vs. Fiction Cooking for a long time.
And while it might sound strange, confusing those two modes may be quietly destroying more writing momentum-- and more long-term creative joy writing fiction-- than almost anything else.
In this episode, I introduce a distinction that completely changed how I understand procrastination, "writer's block," and the shame spiral that comes from sitting down to write and walking away feeling like you failed.
I call it Fiction Farming vs. Fiction Cooking.
You'll learn:
Why your brain uses these two different modes
Why judgment kills ideas in one mode-- but is essential in the other
How mixing the two creates unnecessary friction and ultimately leads to not writing
And how to diagnose which mode you're actually in before you sit down to work
This is the first episode in a short mini-trilogy about subtle habits that quietly erode writers' confidence over time.
If you've been hard on yourself lately, this one might bring some relief—and a clearer path forward.
