A DabbleU Workshop: Using Brain Science to Overcome Writer’s Resistance with Monica Hay | SCC 225

Many writers struggle with resistance—procrastination, perfectionism, writer’s block. Instead of writing, you find yourself scrolling social media, cleaning the kitchen, or calling your mom. You listen to a podcast and tell yourself, Hey, this is still productive, but deep down, you wish you were making your own art. Maybe you run an errand—something necessary, but not urgent—knowing you could have written instead. It feels like you're constantly avoiding the page, and you can’t help but wonder, Why is it so hard to just sit down and write?

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And here’s the good news: your resistance isn’t a personal failing! You're not "lazy" or "unmotivated." What you're facing can be explained by brain science. In this workshop, you’ll learn the neuroscience behind resistance and discover simple, effective strategies to overcome it. I’ll introduce you to what I call “write or flight” and show you how to rewire your brain so that resistance stops standing in your way. You'll learn about the different parts of the brain and how to work with them when resistance pops up so you can finally reach your writing goals. The key isn’t willpower: it’s understanding how your brain works and using that knowledge to your advantage.

Monica Hay is a writing coach who helps writers overcome resistance and finish their manuscripts (without getting stuck in revision traps). With a Master’s in Publishing from Portland State University and a Bachelor’s from UC Berkeley, she often jokes that she’s a recovering academic. She has worked at two literary agencies and served as the Director’s Assistant for WriteOnCon, an online children’s publishing conference. Her work has been featured in the Perfect Your Process and Writing Brave summits, as well as on multiple podcasts.

Blending her background in social work and book publishing, Monica focuses on creative recovery and mastering the inner game of writing. She's passionate about helping writers embrace the "mess" of the writing process, and her famous catchphrase is "no mess, no magic." She currently lives in Amsterdam with her husband and two cats.

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