Create without Desperation - Live with Beth Barany

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Create without Desperation - Live with Beth Barany

A recording from Beth Barany's live video

Beth Barany

Mar 03, 2026

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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Don’t Decide from Desperation: A Better Creative Mindset (Substack Live Transcript — Cleaned)

Hi everyone. I’m Beth Barany, a creativity coach for writers. Today I want to talk about how we can create from a supportive mindset instead of from desperation.

A lot of us know what it feels like when creative work competes with everything else in life. We can get stuck in worry, anxiety, and overwhelm. But to sit down and create, we usually need to feel grounded, clear, and focused.

This session is about that shift.

1) Name the stress response (and why it is not “wrong”)

When we feel fear, avoidance, or freezing, it can look like we are failing. But the fight, flight, or freeze response is a safety mechanism. There is nothing wrong with you if it shows up.

A helpful first step is to acknowledge:

Something about this situation feels threatening.
That reaction is trying to protect you.

Once you can see the response as protective, you can start to work with it instead of fighting yourself.

2) Identify what feels threatening

Sometimes the threat is external:

Time pressure
Financial stress
Family responsibilities
Too many obligations

Sometimes it is internal:

Self-criticism
“I can’t do this.”
“This is too hard.”
“There are too many steps.”
“The goal is too big.”

If you are writing anything longer than flash fiction, your process will take time. That long timeline can trigger overwhelm.

3) Shrink the goal until your system relaxes

One of the fastest ways I know to reduce overwhelm is to make the goal smaller.

You are not “writing a novel today.”

You are writing:

a page
a few paragraphs
a scene
500 to 1,000 words

On a strong day I might write up to 2,000 words. On an average day, it is closer to 500 to 1,000. I set goals that are doable.

When the goal feels doable, my whole system relaxes and I can get to work.

4) Ask: “How do I want to feel at the end of the day?”

Another way I shift out of desperation is to ask:

How do I want to feel tonight?
What would feel satisfying?

Then I ask:

What is the smallest step I can take today?

If it matters to you, put the time on the calendar. The calendar is one way to show yourself you are committed.

5) Use curiosity to get unstuck

A simple pivot out of fear is curiosity. Ask:

What do I want to know next?
What am I curious about?

Curiosity often opens a path forward when motivation feels unavailable.

6) When you are stuck on a decision: gather information

Sometimes it is hard to decide because you do not have enough information yet. Instead of forcing a decision, ask:

What information do I need?
What is the next question to ask?

A coaching question I love:

What is the difference that makes the difference?

Meaning: what is the smallest change you can make that creates the biggest impact?

7) Romance vs fantasy romance: what drives the plot?

A helpful way to categorize your story is to ask:

Does the romance drive the main plot?
Or is romance a strong secondary thread inside a bigger external plot?

If the story’s spine is the relationship arc, it will usually read (and market) as romance.

If the story’s spine is an external problem (quest, mystery, war, survival, etc.) and romance supports the story without driving it, it will usually read as fantasy (or science fiction) with romantic elements.