✍️ Why Writers Get in Their Own Way (and How to Avoid the Trap)

or, How to Avoid Helmet Fires and Find “The Write Stuff”

Have you ever heard of “helmet fires”?

No, me neither, until researching this post. Out of context, it’s meaningless. If I told you it’s a term fighter pilots use, you might start to get a picture: high stress and brain overload leading to indecision, inaction (or inapt actions), and in deep trouble.

Also contributing to helmet fires are intertwined lack of confidence and lack of experience. That’s why fighter pilots – and pilots in general – undergo so much training. They learn how to react in a variety of situations, so if that situation comes up in real life, they are able to respond calmly.

Of course, if you have “the right stuff”, this cool-as-a-cucumber demeanour means you are in full control even in the most dire of circumstances. Reportedly Neil Armstrong’s heart rate did not even flicker as he looked for a place to land on the moon through rocky terrain and less than 10 seconds of fuel left in the tank. That’s who you want flying in the plane in an emergency.

“We know from applied science and the research – and this is shown in sports psychology – that 40 to 90 per cent of a person’s elite level performance comes down to what’s between the ears,” said Jamie Bunka, a mental performance consultant who worked with Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilots. “So, we are really working on including that mental training alongside the technical, tactical, and physical training that pilots are being trained to do.”

Bolding mine. As she points out, high-performing athletes also require strong mental make-up as well as physical. But I think we all struggle with the mental sometimes, no matter what we do and no matter what level we’re operating at.

What jumps out at me is that 100 per cent of writing happens between the ears...

Uh oh.

A Definition for Writerly Helmet Fires...

I think most (all?) writers have some form of helmet fires when writing. We get too much in our heads. We worry about all those fears we’ve detailed in past posts: imposter syndrome, comparisons with other writers (before we even write), perfectionism, and more. In short, we get in our own way to the point that we don’t or can’t even write.

I know, I know. I hear you saying that helmet fires for pilots are not the same. They deal with high-pressure situations where every move can mean life or death.

To which I’d say: exactly.

You could write literally the worst poem in the world, and nobody would be injured. Your plane wouldn’t be shot down. You wouldn’t run out of fuel over mountains. Your moon lander wouldn’t hit a rock and be lost forever.

So why do we worry so much about the words we’re putting down?

This question is kind of the central theme for this whole Substack newsletter. Why are we so afraid to commit words to paper when (a) nobody has to read them until we’re ready, and (b) nobody’s life is on the line in any case?

Another major difference between pilots and writers: it’s for this very reason that writerly helmet fires are so much easier to put out, methinks. At least intellectually. Emotionally, well... maybe we need some tricks.

7 Ideas for Putting Out Your Own Helmet Fires

I feel like some of the hints here are similar (or maybe exactly the same...) as other hints I’ve written here before. But I think there’s value in looking at problems from different angles. If “helmet fires” resonates with you, then perfect! Let’s look at some possible fixes.

Full disclosure: there wasn’t much out there directly related to helping writers get out of their own way. There are some casual references, most some variation of: writers tend to get in their own way. But there was no deep dive into why or what to do about it.

However, I did find this article on Declutter Your Mind you may find helpful. I’ve borrowed and adapted several concepts from there:

1. Stop Comparing Your Writing to That of Others. We’ve talked before about how all comparisons are useless. Find the courage to write despite the fact that Shakespeare once existed, and go write your own stuff like Atwood, King, and countless other writers did. (Spoiler alert: they’re not Shakespeare either; many would argue they’re much, much better...)

2. Shun Perfectionism. Or, as I describe it, redefine perfectionism. Perfect is not a Lockstone driveway of words placed one after another. Perfect is a lump of clay you throw down to edit later.

3. Set Goals for Encouragement, Not Punishment. Create a writing schedule and commit to it, but don’t beat yourself up if you have to miss it because your kid is in Emerge or you’re just not feeling it. Give yourself a Get Out of Jail Free Card if you need to.

4. Think Differently. As in, take a break from writing and do something else creative. “Creative cross-training” can help spark inspiration for your writing, too.

5. Embrace the Zero Draft. One of my most popular posts talked about the concept of the Zero Draft, the draft you write before the first draft. This is like a word dump that is never meant to be read by anyone. Knowing this ahead of time allows you to write freely without your own inner critic second-guessing your every word. (Talk about helmet fire!)

6. Remember: You Don’t Need Permission to Be a Writer. One of our most difficult obstacles is deciding when, exactly, we become writers. The answer is simple: whenever you want to be. And here’s where it gets really interesting. You can write anyway, whether you feel you’re a writer or not.

7. Write Bad Words. As in, not perfect words. This is another take on the lump of clay thing. Give yourself permission to just put words on a page in any order they come. Accept that this process is not creative, but a make-work task and do it anyway. Because you know what? You just may be surprised at how creative you can actually be without meaning to.

Key Takeaway: Writerly helmet fires are all the little things that nag at us and stop us from writing. Sometimes, we need to just get out of our own way and write. Intellectually, we understand that nobody will get physically hurt by the words we write down today. But we need more convincing emotionally. Find a way to reassure your emotional self that no matter what you write, good or bad, it’s all going to be okay!

Over to You: How Do You Deal with Helmet Fires?

Do you feel yourself freeze up in front of the blank page? What strategies have you used to get past that? Let us know in the comments below! I’d be very interested to hear all the different things that have helped writers get out of their own ways.

As you might suspect, there isn’t a whole lot on YouTube when you search for “writer helmet fire” – at least, nothing relevant to us. But I did find something close by about how to get out of your own way and call yourself a writer. A very short video below.

Until next time, keep writing with wild abandon!

~Graham

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