Solution to Writing Obstacle No. 41:

“I know my writing habits are bad, but that’s just who I am, and I can’t/don’t want to change.”

Only you can tell if the way that you write is fundamental to your being or just an accident of your life experiences and education.

If you feel strong resistance to any of my adages, you should pay attention to that. Believe your resistance, as they say. Not every tactic works for everyone.

But do pay attention to whether you are feeling resistance or fear. Resistance is positive, the sense that something just isn’t for you. Fear is negative, the false sense that you just can’t do something.

So, watch what’s happening because of “who you are.” If who you are is preventing you from attaining the goals that are valuable to you, you may have to think hard about how you can turn that character trait into a positive or whether you want to go on being yourself.

Behavior modification asserts that you are not a Russian doll, with layers of wooden selves to your very core. Rather, you are a protean being who does not take advantage of half your potential, skills, or smarts.

Be wary of labeling some dysfunction as your essence. Sometimes you have to choose being productive over being unique.

Solution to Writing Obstacle No. 41, one of the obstinance obstacles listed on page 32 of Belcher’s Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success (University of Chicago Press, 2019).