Writer’s Block? Try This

October 8, 2021 / Tanja Pajevic / blog / No Comments

In my Memoir Mastery course and Mastermind workshop group, we’ve spent the past month talking about structure. There’s the craft and technique of writing memoir and then there’s the pulling together of all the pieces. That can be daunting with a book length project. It can be easy to fall into overwhelm. Memoir Writing Tips Today I’d like to invite you to bring curiosity to your project. To approach your memoir with inquiry instead of overwhelm. Instead of shutting down into “I don’t know how,” try opening into inquiry: “How can I?” This can be a powerful reframe, helping us write from an open and expansive place vs. a stressed and constricted one. Here’s an example of how this played out for me this week: For the past month or so, I’ve been circling around a structural problem with my current memoir. Forcing […]

Does This Sound Familiar? (+ free training 9/18)

September 11, 2019 / Tanja Pajevic / blog / No Comments

Something I often talk about with my clients is our tendency to move the goal post (i.e.: expanding the scope of a writing project by making it longer, fancier or more complicated than it needs to be). Sound familiar? (I do it, too.) We’re human, after all, and this is one the primary ways the inner critic shows up, by catapulting us into fear and overwhelm. Which is what happened to two of my clients this week. M. and K. are both fabulous women, strong writers and successful business owners writing books on their topic of expertise. Intimidated by the vastness of the project before them, both started piling more to-dos on their writing plate. Once I helped them see how they were moving the goal post, we could get back on track and start moving forward, one manageable step at a time. […]

How Long Does it Really Take to Write a Book?

June 5, 2019 / Tanja Pajevic / blog / No Comments

This is Part 2 of a 3-Part Series: What I Wish I’d Known Then. (Click here if you missed Part 1: Don’t Give Away Your Power) In my Memoir Mastery class this week, we’ve been talking about expectations. A lot of times, folks think that writing a book will be easier than it is. We simply don’t know what’s involved and how long it’ll take. And if you’ve seen those Write Your Book in a Weekend programs, that’ll create its own unrealistic expectations. On the other end of the spectrum are the literary/academic folks, who think it’ll take years and years to perfect the craft of creating a perfect book. More on that in a sec. Let’s start with the Write a Book in a Weekend camp first. Is it really possible to write a book in a short period of time? It […]