Fear as a Creative Force
By Lisa Collazo, LCSW

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THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE(tm)
Devoted to practical steps for completing
your doctoral dissertation.
www.ecoach.com
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To subscribe, visit www.ecoach.com
INDEX
1. Ben's Note
2. Fear as a Creative Force 
    By Lisa Collazo, LCSW
3. Support Group Starting in Atlanta, Georgia
4. Words of Wisdom

SUMMARY
In this issue, Lisa Collazo shares some ideas
for overcoming your fear of writing, and
moving ahead.

We announce the formation of a new "live" support
group in Atlanta, Georgia.

We round it out with Words of Wisdom.
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Ben's Note

May 15, 2003

Dear ABD Survival Guide Reader,

Wow. It's hard to believe it's almost the
middle of the year. We've had a good number
of our readers unsubscribing and preparing
for graduation- I'd like to take a minute
to congratulate all of you who are finishing
up the final stages in the PhD process and
moving on to other things. I, and all of us
here at the ABDSG, are proud of all you've
accomplished.

I also want to offer a warm welcome to all
our new subscribers, and to thank you for
joining our vibrant and growing community.

In this issue, Lisa Collazo shares some
tips and hints for overcoming your fear
of writing so you can keep moving ahead.

I've said this before, but it bears
repeating now- if you've gone for
any significant length of time without
making real progress on your dissertation,
I'd strongly suggest you consider working
with one of our dissertation coaches. For many
of you, this could be a critically important step
for completing your dissertation once and
for all. Near the bottom of this newsletter,
you'll find directions for applying.

We also announce the formation of a new
live dissertation support group in Atlanta,
and we round it out with Words of
Wisdom.

See you in two weeks.

Warmly,
Ben
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Fear as a Creative Force
By: Lisa Collazo, L.C.S.W.
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FEAR AS A CREATIVE FORCE

What gets in the way of your creativity?
How can you forge ahead despite your anxiety?

In this article I will describe four areas that
can trigger fear and include some tips that may be useful.

1. Failure
2. Exposure
3. Abandonment
4. Rejection

1. Failure:

One of the more common fears writers face is
that of failure. This is especially difficult when writers
are isolated. Think of times that you were successful
with a project. What were you doing? How were you
feeling? Who gave you positive feedback? Jot down
these experiences and put them somewhere you can
see them. When you begin to encounter feelings of
failure, your list will be a reminder of your
accomplishments.

2. Exposure:

Writers often hide behind writing techniques
as a way to avoid writing honestly and from the heart.
The fear of others discovering who they really are
through their writing is a common ailment that writers
face. A suggestion that I came up with while thinking
about my previous work as a child therapist is to
visualize yourself as a child without protective barriers.
Imagine what it would be like to have others'
expectations mean nothing to you. Go to a park or
playground and observe children at play. You will
discover how children are fearless, spontaneous and
imaginative in their creative outlets. It is amazing to
behold. Although we may never be able to recreate
our childhood in such a way, you can be inspired by
the innocence that this experience brings. Another
technique that may be useful for a writer is to
pick a time in the day that you feel the most confident.
Take advantage of this moment and write. I will quote
Arthur Miller who said "the best work that anybody
ever writes is the work that is on the verge of
embarrassing him, always."

3. Abandonment:

Since writers often write about who as
well as what they know, they often experience being
alienated from family and friends. An effective way to
help cope with this issue is to visualize how you
would deal with someone whose opinion you are most
concerned about. What would this person say about
your work? How would you respond to this person?
Try role playing the scene with someone you trust.

4. Rejection:

Many writers experience a block in their
writing after their work has been rejected. How writers
deal with the discouragement that comes with rejection
varies from writer to writer. However, as in many
situations in life, there are simply two roads that you
can take:

a. give up
b. push forward

To keep the fires burning, a writer must be willing to ask
for help when he/she needs it. The support of a writer's
group set out to encourage writers and their work can be
useful. Ralph Keys stated in his book The Courage to
Write "In writing, as in so many pursuits, it's not the
gifted but the most determined who succeed."

QUESTION OF THE MONTH:

What tips do you rely on to ease your fear of writing?
Send me an email with your responses. I will include
your answers to the questions I pose each month in my
newsletter. If I use one of your responses, I will contact
you first to see if you want your name
and email listed next to it. Your confidentiality will be
honored if you choose not to have your personal
information listed.

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About Lisa Collazo, L.C.S.W.
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Lisa Collazo is a licensed clinical social worker and
personal and professional coach who specializes in
working with what Julia Cameron describes as "blocked
creatives" in her book The Artist's Way. Her clinical
skills, along with her passion for film has led her
to develop a career as a coach for screenwriters. She
assists screenwriters in broadening their creative horizons
and gets them in touch with what they are most passionate
about. She inspires screenwriters to craft their best work
by helping them set small manageable goals. Her skills
as a coach have also been useful for writers in general.
Ms. Collazo offers individual virtual coaching sessions and
group teleclasses for writers.

She can be reached

By email: LcollazoSW@aol.com
By Phone: 512-445-7498
On the web: http://www.writewhatyouknow.com

To subscribe to her free monthly newsletter, email her at
the above address and enter subscribe in the subject line.

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Live Dissertation Support Group Forming
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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"I would love to start a support group for interested ABD's
of any degree type currently living in the Atlanta area.
Initially, I would like to meet once a month, perhaps more
frequently if the group decided."

For more information or to express interest in this group,
email Allyson at jimalclay@yahoo.com

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Words of Wisdom from New Ph.D.'s.
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*In getting a PhD, the choices are to drop out or
to do it. If you have decided to do it, own that decision
-- don't sit on the emotional fence.

*Read and reread what you have written. It can
always be improved. It may take several times before
you discover something is missing or doesn't sound
right. My Chair suggested that I read it aloud to
myself. He also suggested that I let someone unrelated
to the process read it, to get an objective opinion
for clarity of content.

===================
Your Own Coach
===================
If you are considering whether to get your own coach
to help you reach your academic goals, send any email
to: ben16-76471@autocontactor.com
=============================
BEN DEAN, Publisher, ABDSG
===============================
Ben holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of
Texas at Austin. He is the founder of MentorCoach
(www.MentorCoach.com), a virtual university
training accomplished mental health professionals
to become extraordinary coaches. With
Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., Ben is also the founder of
Authentic Happiness Coaching
(www.AuthenticHappinessCoaching.com), a virtual
university training educators, consultants, trainers,
therapists, parents and other professionals to apply
the principles of Authentic Happiness in their own
lives and in the lives of their clients, students, and
children. Ben lives in suburban Maryland with
his wife and two young children, Walnut, their
hamster, and Rubin, their cocker spaniel.
==================================
RACHNA D. JAIN, Editor, ABDSG
==================================
I'm a dissertation coach and licensed psychologist
based in Maryland, with a doctorate from the
University of Denver. I'm the Editor of the
ABDSG, as well as the Author of "Get It Done!
A Coach's Guide to Dissertation Success"
If you'd like to learn more about me or my book, please
visit my website: www.ExcelWithEaseCoaching.com
If you have questions about this newsletter, you
can direct them to me: rachna@mentorcoach.com
I'm excited to be working with you to meet your academic
goals. You can do it!
================================================
THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE(tm)
================================================
"The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide"(tm) focuses
on ways to help its readers more readily overcome the
roadblocks that often seem to stand in the way of
completing the dissertation. It is read throughout the
world.
=======================
VIRTUAL ABD ASSISTANCE
=======================
Would you like a "virtual assistant" who did whatever you
needed to help you move forward on your scholarly work or
on other parts of your life. If you'd like to learn more
about how a virtual assistant could help you, contact the two
that Ben works with: Cathy Anway or Sunny Bain. Both are
conscientious, skillful, and extraordinarily competent.
Cathy Anway can be at Cathy@mentorcoach and Sunny Bain can
be reached at sunny@mentorcoach.com
===============================================
INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A DISSERTATION COACH?
READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP?
=================================================
Email ben16-76471@autocontactor.com
You'll receive an email outlining the application process,
follow the instructions and submit the form. Your application
will then be forwarded to potential coaches so that you might
arrange a free, initial consultation.
Various fee plans are available.
ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
=====================
First, congratulations!!!! Yeaaaaaa!!!!
Second, please send any email to: FreeAtLast@mentorcoach.com
Within seconds, you'll receive a note from Ben.
A FAVOR
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CONTACT INFORMATION
----------------------------------
Ben J. Dean, Ph.D
MentorCoach(tm)
Voice: 301-986-5688
Fax: 301-913-9447
Web: www.ecoach.com/
Web: www.mentorcoach.com
(c) Copyright 2003 Ben J. Dean. All rights reserved.
Rachna Jain, Ph.D.
mailto:rachna@mentorcoach.com
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