by Suzanne Lieurance
You don’t need more time to write.
You don’t need a fancy writing desk.
You don’t need a new planner, a course, or a writing retreat to give yourself permission.
What you really need is a shift in mindset.
We’re taught to approach writing with pressure.
We’re supposed to be productive, perfect, polished.
But that mindset doesn’t create freedom—it creates friction.
Every sentence becomes a test.
Every blank page feels like a mountain.
If you want to feel free at the page, you have to change how you think about writing.
Start with these three simple mindset shifts:
#1. From outcome to expression
When you focus only on the outcome—a finished novel, a polished essay, a bestselling book—you put a weight on your writing it was never meant to carry.
Instead, try writing just to express something.
Let it be a release.
Let it be for you first.
The magic happens when you stop forcing your writing to “do” something and allow it to simply be.
#2. From pressure to play
Writing isn’t a test.
You’re not being graded.
If you treat writing like a performance, you’ll always be nervous.
But when you treat it like play, you relax.
You explore.
You try new things.
That’s when the real freedom shows up—when you give yourself room to play on the page again.
#3. From fear to trust
You already have everything you need inside you to write something meaningful.
But fear will tell you you’re not ready.
That you need more experience.
More validation.
That fear is lying.
The truth is, your voice is ready now.
Trust yourself.
Write the thing.
You can always revise later—but don’t self-reject before the words even get out.
These are small shifts, but they create big changes.
When you step into your writing time from a place of expression, play, and trust, you don’t just write more—you write better.
More honestly.
More boldly.
So, if writing has started to feel like a burden, ask yourself: What mindset am I bringing to the page? And what could I let go of?
You don’t need to earn your freedom to write.
You already have it.
The trick is remembering that.
And, for more writing tips and resources delivered to your e-mailbox every weekday, get your free subscription to The Morning Nudge.
2 comments:
As a writer and writer for hire, I sometimes feel that writing is a burden. I always push through it, but these tips on how small shifts in our mindset can create big changes are very helpful. Thanks for sharing, Suzanne!
Suzanne, this almost reads like poetry. Thank you!
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