Category: Writing

LK Lohan

Relentless

Relentless. For some reason, the word’s always resonated with me. It implies perseverance. Discipline. Grit. The qualities of the warrior monks that figure prominently in my stories. Qualities I admire in others and try to cultivate in myself – up to a degree. There’s a fine line between dedication and obsession, and if I’ve learned anything about myself over the years it’s that I don’t have much of an obsessive personality. Some people might disagree, but they see the outside. The truth on the inside is that I’m dedicated to a few pursuits, but I don’t have it in me Read More …

LK Lohan

Self-help Doesn’t Work

Self-help doesn’t work – until you’re ready to hear the message. To use another cliché: The teacher will come when the student is ready. The self-help field is often maligned as pop psychology, but it does the job for those of us who like the summarized, pre-digested version as a starting-point for further research. And, often enough, the short version is sufficient for our needs. The field of self-help is as vast as people’s “issues”. If a particular issue isn’t an issue for you, well, you get to skip that section of the bookshelf. Just make sure that you don’t Read More …

LK Lohan

Meditation for Writers

Meditation for writers is really meditation for life. For many years now, I’ve been fascinated with meditation. And whenever something interests me, guess what: I read whole shelves of books on the topic. Most instructional meditation books agree that it can be as simple as following your breath. They also tell you that your mind will wander and that thoughts and emotions will arise. And then they’ll tell you that you just have to let them drift by like clouds on a sunny day and gently let them go. After a few weeks, it will become second nature. Um. No. Read More …

LK Lohan

Writer’s Block, Impostor Syndrome, and Rejection Anxiety

Writer’s block, impostor syndrome, and rejection anxiety. The unholy trinity of every writer. Or so we are led to believe. Reading writerly blogs or articles sometimes make them sound like prerequisites to calling yourself a writer. Well, no. You can’t call yourself a writer. Because that would make you feel like an impostor. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that these feelings aren’t awful and all-too-real for some people. It’s the generalization that I object to, especially in publications geared towards aspiring writers. The results can be absurd. I once took a workshop at my local library, where Read More …

LK Lohan

Rules Make Life Easier

If anybody would’ve told me a few years ago that rules make life easier, I would’ve laughed and walked away. These days, though, I’m older and wiser. Well, older in any case. And I’ve come to the conclusion that rules not only make life easier but are some of the glue that holds it together. Don’t get me wrong. The first thing I do when faced with a rule is to question it. I tend to be very sceptical of external rules. Traffic rules, for example. Somebody please explain to me why I have to come to a full stop Read More …