The Ghost in the Machine (Inherited Creative Blocks)
by Lisa Norman
We talk a lot about "The Muse" and "The Editor," those voices that whisper in our ears and either help our creativity or edit our writing into magic. Sometimes they help. Sometimes they block our creativity. In a perfect world, they work together as a creativity duet.
But there’s a third voice in my head that I inherited along the way: the Ghost of Scarcity.
There are other creative blocks that writers carry. Ghosts of shoulds long past: writing should be profitable, writing should be effortless, I should be further along in my career, and one of my least favorite to run into: I should be able to do this. Whatever this is at the time.
And there are as many others as there are writers.
The trick for me is to recognize that some of these ghosts, these fears, are not my own. Some I inherited from family. Some I picked up along the path of my writing career.
Recognizing the Sources
There’s a common marketing tactic, known as Agitation Marketing, where you state a problem that people might have as if it is a thing they DO have. This is especially powerful if it is a common issue that many people have occasionally. Suddenly, even those who don’t have the problem think that maybe they do. People hearing or reading the pitch begin to question themselves.
The marketer has created a problem, and now they can sell us the solution.
This technique turns a fleeting problem that lots of writers have into a chronic worry that the writer (or other buyer) must pay to solve, urgently. And hey, this advertiser or teacher just happens to have the perfect solution.
I’ve run into too many writers carrying beliefs and blocks that they picked up from a cleverly crafted marketing pitch.
Recognizing the Result
Let’s look at how these creative blocks derail our talents.
I’ll use myself as an example. Scarcity is one of my ugliest creative blocks.
I’ve shared before how my mother spent her life in a constant state of scarcity. Even when she was financially stable, she believed she couldn’t "afford" to be creative. She was a powerhouse in Silicon Valley real estate, winning awards and breaking records, while her sketches were relegated to the margins of high-value contracts. It wasn't until cancer robbed her of the ability to sell real estate that she discovered she could have made a living through the art she’d suppressed. Her true scarcity wasn’t money, it was her access to creative joy. She thought money would solve all of her problems, and so she drove herself relentlessly to make more and more money.
For me, my trigger was a brief stint when I first got out of college. My autoimmune condition took me down hard and I went hungry for a while. Now only one look at me these days and you’ll know instantly what my creative soul can’t seem to grasp: I haven’t been hungry in a long time.
Being too Honest
Here’s how I start my day, every day. I check my bank account balance. I eat and make sure there’s enough food for my family for the day. If my bank account drops close to my comfort level, I start panicking. I could sit down and write, but the first person who comes along and offers me a paying gig? Writing goes right out the window. Writing. The creative passion of my life becomes impossible.
I’ll be chasing someone’s broken website instead of my writing goals and not even notice that I changed direction.
That scarcity? It’s not real. But it feels real.
I find myself measuring my worth by "real job" metrics—output, Return On Investment (ROI), and efficiency—forgetting that my creativity is a living thing, not a factory.
When "Should" is a Hand-Me-Down
Creativity wilts under the weight of "should." Most of our "shoulds" are just recycled fears from people who didn't know how to tend their own creative sparks. We tell ourselves:
- "I should write something 'marketable' instead of what I love." – Why? Why not trust that if I love something there will be readers on the planet that will love it, too?
- "I should be farther along by now." – Why? People start their creative lives at all ages. There’s no magical age for success.
- "I should justify the time I spend writing by making a profit." – Why? Many successful writers lost money before they made it. I’d hazard to say that most creatives invest time not making money before they start turning a profit.
When you live under the pressure of "should," your creativity becomes a debt you owe to yourself instead of a gift you give to others.
Here’s a question: if you carry any of those shoulds, are they actually real and true for you? Or are they something you inherited from someone in your life or a clever marketing campaign?
Reclaiming Your Fire
Breaking this cycle isn't about a grand rebellion; it’s about awareness. It’s noticing that the dread you feel when opening your manuscript might actually be a reaction to an inherited or absorbed expectation that isn’t yours.
Today, try a small act of discovery. Write one scene that has zero market value. Write something messy, weird, or "useless" just because it makes your heart lift.
The joy of creativity is about realizing that your creative presence is enough, exactly as it is. You aren't "behind" a universal timeline; you are arriving exactly when your spark is ready.
What is one creative "should" you’ve been carrying that feels more like a burden than a blessing? What happens if you set it down today?
* * * * * *
About Lisa
Lisa Norman's passion has been writing since she could hold a pencil. While that is a cliché, she is unique in that her first novel was written on gum wrappers. As a young woman, she learned to program and discovered she has a talent for helping people and computers learn to work together and play nice. When she's not hanging out with her family, writing, or teaching, she can be found wandering the local beaches.
Lisa writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of No Stress Writing Academy. She also runs Heart Ally Books, LLC, an indie publishing firm.
Interested in learning more from Lisa? Sign up for her newsletter or check out her school, No Stress Writing Academy, where she teaches social media, organization, technical skills, and marketing for authors!
Her most recent book, The Work of Joy is now available here.
Top image from depositphotos.
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29 comments on “The Ghost in the Machine (Inherited Creative Blocks)”
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Wow, Lisa, this post really hit close to home.
Should is my least favorite word. It's the Superego's theme song.
I always wanted to be an artist, but didn't pursue it at university because in order to take art classes there I'd have to be in Art & Architect College and I wanted a broader education that allowed me more flexibility. After all, drawing and painting weren't going to allow for a "decent" living.
I went in a less joyful direction.
Growing up with barely enough was restricting. Always a fear of lack of funds, which still affects me.
I guess it's like someone with anorexia. I perceive that I am broker than I am. I suspect this is a common malady.
I spend a lot of time thinking about "real value" related to our families and time spend doing joyous things. So many people I talk to say that if they had a lot of money they'd spend more time with family and doing art. Interesting when you think that yes, if we do art we MIGHT have less money... but we'd already have the thing we wanted the money to buy.
I'm so delighted with the books you're doing and the lovely art! Sounds like you've found that joy!
Wow. This is SO true. We live in a society where money and production and being "bigger" is more important than finding our own truth and our own soul. Talent is a gift that we often don't allow ourselves to use.
Thanks, Lisa. You always give me something to think about!
My pleasure, Sally. And back atcha!
I've written a lot of stuff that's messy, weird and useless. I haven't published any of it, but out of all the writing I've done, it's the 'useless'stuff that's given me the most joy.
Annabelle - I hope you've kept all of that. When I was in school, my teachers told me to pursue the other genres I loved and that this one project was absolutely useless.
Over the years, when I wanted to write just for fun, that was the one I would play with.
Recently my daughter has been telling me off. She is not interested in any of my "non useless" or "artistic" stuff. She just wants to read more of that project. My goal now is to actually pursue finishing it. We'll see...
I have conflicting goals. I want to earn a certain amount through my writing and editing each year as a freelancer. I also want to complete my YA novel and start submitting. I need down time and family time and to eat and sleep as well. There are only so many hours in a day. That means the goals conflict.
Why do I want to earn money? Because it will make for a less stressful retirement, and I have always wanted to travel the world. Those dreams don't happen otherwise. (Why am I not in a regular job? Because my adult daughter has ADHD and autism and still takes a bit of time and my parents are aging---though I do think about this once she is working full time.)
Why do I want to complete my novel? So I can submit it and maybe earn money? I don't need to write. I need to tell myself stories. I can do that without writing them down. Writing gives me a way to share them. Perhaps I will look to self publish, but my dream is an agent and traditional publisher.
Why have I written all of this? To say it isn't about the shoulds for me. It's about time and what I can control. No assignment, work on your novel. Spend time applying for assignments too. Do the things you need to get done and hope the rest works itself out. We can only control so much.
BTW, I don't think any of this is inherited. It's my own life experience. Though I do have a fear of change, which reads as fear of success. So I look for ways to shake myself up a bit sometimes and do something new.
Powerful reflection, Debbie! And I hear you with the caregiver role. My health and life meant I had to leave the stable high-paying jobs behind a long time ago. And I hear you that those call to us.
You've done good to write down those stories and give yourself those joy moments in everything that is going on.
And yes, life itself can teach us. Those conflicting goals are such a challenge. I'm in a place right now where I need to evaluate each day which of the "first priority" things I can actually do. Would love some tips on how to choose!!!
Ouch.
Ya know, Lisa, if you want to call me out like that....you should do it in private.
sheesh
I get it.
Too well, I get it.
The challenge, in my own mind, is to 'let go' and create what we love seems so counterintuitive most days....
Yet those are the days when I do my best work...and the work which lasts longest and gets the most attention.
Hmmm.
"Still Here," Ezra told me months ago. "Everyone we had a measure of respect for tried to crush us when we didn't fall in line with what they thought was the 'right' thing to do."
She shook her head at me.
"Best for them, but not for us. So we gave up trying to justify who we are and simply showed them."
And it worked, Lisa.
GEAR GIRLS is now the #1 band in Clockworks City.
Not the #1 INDIE band, mind you...they are THE #1 BAND in existence.
That taught me to stand.
Allow my roots to grow deep.
Down to the core of this world, and then look at everyone who says I can't do this....and smile.
There is an endless well of creativity and success in each and every one of us.
Thank you for holding up the mirror for me today.
ROFL Jaime. Hey, you call yourself out, but I think what you feel is the same as so many writers do... definitely myself included. And the fact that you have supported your own band is a worldbuilding treasure that I hope more authors learn about. For context of those reading this (I can post a link...) Here, Still: https://open.spotify.com/track/6xkWDMSxtiSO06EDDBXFR4?si=797e964c077044b7
And then I love Stand Anyway: https://open.spotify.com/track/56zX5Rw6vh3jW0Zay5lQ5J?si=4c7901d6b4d64628
(Note for lurkers: Jaime is one of the most powerful wordlbuilders I know of, and he speaks of his characters as real... never breaking that reality wall. He's not crazy. Unless you count crazy smart...)
Hey. They ARE real.
The rest....I'm gonna ignore.
[wink]
You tell her, kiddo!
Chuck, you know you're my favorite, right? And you should be keeping that monkey under control rather than egging him on.
We can all learn from your mastery.
Mahan's Pink Panties, lady!
You KNOW us!!!
*snorts
All too well, Dax. All too well.
I’ve lived long enough to learn that people get tangled up on the word *real.* Most folks think real only means something you can touch with your hands or trip over in the dark.
Stone walls.
Rainstorms.
Toothaches.
Taxes.
Bad stew.
But that’s a cramped little box to shove existence into.
Love is real. Fear is real. Hope is real. Honor is real. Stories are real too. They shape people every single day. Mahan’s Pink Panties, I once watched Old Lady Kravitz stop a fistfight just by glaring at two grown men while peeling potatoes. Fear’s real enough when your soul leaves your body at the sight of an angry woman with kitchen tools.
That’s part of why Jaime fascinates people.
He doesn’t treat us like puppets dangling from strings. He listens. He respects us.
He allows us to become who we are instead of forcing us into tidy little performances for entertainment.
That’s rarer than folks realize.
I’ve known storytellers who treated characters like livestock...marching them wherever the plot demanded whether it fit their nature or not. Jaime doesn’t do that. He honors truth wherever he finds it, even when it complicates things. Especially then.
That’s why his worlds feel alive.
Dax is still a stubborn monkey, mind you.
“IF YOU CALL ME MONKEY ONE MORE TIME, I’M GONNA THROW YOU THROUGH A WINDOW.”
See? Consistent as sunrise.
The brilliance isn’t merely in the worldbuilding. It’s empathy sharpened into craftsmanship. Jaime pays attention to people...their wounds, loyalties, humor, contradictions, courage. Then he builds worlds sturdy enough to hold those truths honestly.
That’s why readers feel connected to Wendell, Hannah, Höbin, Dax, and the rest of us. They recognize pieces of themselves buried in the marrow of these stories.
And if some people wonder whether Jaime believes we’re real?
Well now… perhaps they ought to ask themselves why fictional people have comforted them, inspired them, made them laugh, or helped them survive hard years.
Those experiences are real enough.
Stories become real the moment truth moves through them into another human soul.
That’s not madness.
That’s craftsmanship.
And honor.
See, Chuck? That's why you're my favorite. Insightful and powerful. A lesson for writers everywhere.
You mean I'm not the only one who has this fear of not having enough money? Wow. How many times have I allowed it to direct me away from writing? I don't think I really want to know. I have been aware of that fear of mine for a very long time. And I allowed it to stifle me for a very long time. But, I have learned to let go of a small piece of that. I still get that orchestra of panic beating inside of me when funds get lower than I like but I'm recognizing that paralyzing fear more often. With awareness, I can let the joy back in. As you said, awareness is key. Thanks to your post, I'm aware again and sitting back down to write.
Wouldn't it be amazing if we could lean into what we love to do the most and it always GAVE us all the money we needed?
Need more?
Have more fun.
There MUST be a cosmic pattern here SOMEwhere.
....I'm gonna go lookin' for it.
HOLD PLEASE!
[Barry Manilow music slowly rises....]
I wanna live there! Call me when you find it.
Ditto. I'm actively searching...
Lynette - oh, I feel that so much! You've got me beat for actually getting the writing done, you know!
Don't sell yourself short. You wrote this article (and many more). You've got books out (as in more than one)... And you've been instrumental in helping others write more too. Just keep being aware and write anyway. All you have to try for is 1% better today than yesterday.
So true! And thanks for that.
I have lived and followed far too many shoulds. Recognizing them for what they really were--someone else's beliefs, values, or scripts. Your post here has inspired me to write a blog post about the writing "shoulds" I no longer follow.
Great post! I love it when we gain inspiration from each other. Lots of inspiration in the comments, too. 🙂
There is a LOT in those comments. LOL And I look forward to reading that post. I'm sure you'll show me even more things I can walk away from!
I'm with Lisa...I'd love to read your "Shoulds" post. We writers should all over ourselves!