Rethinking Discipline: A Simple Shift for Writers Seeking Balance

🎥 What if the structures answered to our voice rather than vice versa?

On Wednesday I hosted a Writing Plan Tools workshop. In the Q&A at the end, one of the writers asked a question about how to meet writing goals, how to be disciplined and follow a plan when you are also neurodivergent.

And I wanted to share my response in this three-minute clip below because I relate a lot to the pressure of being different in the world and I know what it feels like to have all the traditional writer structures let you down. But also I feel sometimes the structures are touted as the “missing magic” in our success when in reality they should answer to the North Star of our own voice.

Read the transcript here

Question:
"I'm struggling with allowing flexibility because one of my writing goals is to practice discipline and follow a plan. As an ADHD person, I need this structure to keep me on track. However, I don't always have the energy to keep up a weekly pace."

Response:
I relate a lot to that. We are a neurodivergent family. My husband is on one spectrum with ADHD, and I’m on the other with autism. I know what that feels like—to feel like all of the structures should work, but they let you down a lot.

My instinct here is to actually share that maybe a more expansive way to think about discipline is that it isn't punishment. Discipline is returning to the thing which you value, and we have unlimited invitations to return to the thing that we value. Over time, at least in my experience, how I make my way through the world may not look structured, but my heart is disciplined and aligned to what nourishes it.

If anything, I would say don’t keep up a weekly pace. Go to once every other week, or go to once a month, or go to one essay and one conversation starter. Create that space again because ultimately... I don’t know if you all know, but Jen Zug was my very first paid... I'm not going to cry, you guys. I’m not going to cry. My very first paid reader. Jen Zug opened a world of possibility for me.

I’m a paid subscriber to her newsletter, and I’m a big Jen Zug fan. From my observations of you, Jen, you actually are deeply disciplined in the things that you value, in how you tend to your family, and in how you listen to a story. I would just offer that you can lift the expectation to publish weekly. Set that aside and instead maybe give yourself permission to just do one essay, one conversation starter, or just one conversation starter.

You know where to find me if you ever want to talk about that. I would just say that discipline of the heart is not something we talk about a lot, but knowing your own North Star there, I think, will help you pull back and figure out what structure is really deserving of your voice.

Tell us …

I’d love to hear from you:

• Do you know a writer who needs a more expansive view of discipline? (Share this and let them know!)

• Are there structures that don’t serve you and how can you let them go today?

The Writing Plan Tools workshop is available for replay, along with a bevy of bonus editorial resources. It’s $45 for the general public, and you can get immediate access to everything right here. Or if you’re a 🌙 paid member, click here to get access for $15 using this coupon code here.