Today I’m unpacking a piece of advice that sounds simple—and sometimes even motivating—but often leaves scholars feeling worse when it doesn’t work: “Just sit down and write.”

If you’ve ever tried to follow that instruction and immediately felt your brain seize up, your confidence drop, or your draft suddenly look unfamiliar, you’re not alone. In this episode, I talk about why the problem usually isn’t effort or discipline—and why it makes perfect sense that writing can feel hard to restart, even when you care deeply about your work.

I share a gentler way to think about what’s really happening in those moments: not failure, not laziness, not a character flaw—just the very human challenge of re-entering a complex intellectual world. We’ll explore what it can look like to build a small “bridge” back into your project so you’re not trying to leap in cold, and why a few minutes of orientation can change everything about how a writing session feels.

If writing time has been feeling tense, punishing, or slippery lately, consider this your invitation to try a different approach—one that helps you reconnect to the work you’re already in the middle of, with a little more steadiness and a lot more kindness.

Get the Support You Need to Write, Publish, and Flourish

If you’re craving more support with your writing, here are a few ways we can work together:

Writing Coaching—For scholars who want structure, accountability, and a sustainable writing practice that actually works in real life. https://www.jennmcclearen.com/coaching

Developmental Editing—When you need an expert pair of eyes on the argument, structure, or clarity of your manuscript. https://www.jennmcclearen.com/editing

Book Coaching—Six months of coaching + developmental editing to help you make meaningful progress on your manuscript. https://www.jennmcclearen.com/bookcoaching 

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