{"id":54065,"date":"2018-02-22T20:31:14","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T04:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=54065"},"modified":"2018-02-27T07:29:09","modified_gmt":"2018-02-27T15:29:09","slug":"tremor-of-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Tremor of Truth?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

My courage is faith\u2014faith in the eternal resilience of me\u2014that joy\u2019ll come back, and hope and spontaneity.<\/em> \u2014F. Scott Fitzgerald<\/p>\n

At this writing, I can bench press 150 pounds. It wasn\u2019t easy. I put everything I had into it. My personal trainer kept saying, \u201cLet me see your tremor of truth.\u201d Raising an eyebrow at her, I grunted and trembled and sweated before reaching the goal, but I got there. She explained later that the phrase \u201ctremor of truth\u201d is used in physical fitness circles when we push ourselves to the max. Lifting weights, we grimace as a tremor of unease shoots through the body. Our arm muscles quiver during pushups. Our legs tremble with exhaustion running a marathon. The brain says we can\u2019t do it, but just as grass grows through concrete, we persevere, discovering mental and physical reserves we didn\u2019t know we had. And just before giving up, we push through the challenge.<\/p>\n

So what does working out have to do with writing? Some literary agents say the number one key to writing success\u2014even more important than good writing\u2014is resilience, dogged determination in the face of disappointment. Tremor of truth builds muscles on the physical plane and a growth mindset on the psychological plane. Meteoric writing obstacles often seem too great, as if we\u2019re pushing through relentless steel, a vein of encased ore: an impossible deadline, a heartbreaking rejection, impassible writer\u2019s block, a lousy review, sounds of crickets at book signings, or the rumble of our own self-doubt. Sometimes the setbacks make it too hard to bounce back. The hole feels too deep, too dark, the disillusionment too wide and overwhelming.<\/p>\n

Over time rejections and disappointments nibble away at us like torture from half a million cuts. It starts to feel as if we\u2019re bleeding to death and can\u2019t tolerate one more slash. Statistics say more of us have the stamina to continue to take safety risks after a car crash than to continue after a series of psychological defeats. After repeated failure, many writers throw in the towel to avoid more disappointment. Attempts to bring quick relief to the misery of defeat rob us of knowing what missed opportunities lay beyond the barrier. This impulsive reaction\u2014scientists call it the what-the-hell effect\u2014is a way out: permission to give up. Adding insult to injury, we seek comfort in the very thing we\u2019re trying to conquer: writing failure.<\/p>\n

Although growth as a writer is painful, it can be even more painful to remain tight in a secure little nest. Craft alone won\u2019t carry us through the massive writing hurdles. When we\u2019re knocked down in the writing arena, the heartbreak slams the wind out of us. Our faces marred by dust and sweat and blood, we push ourselves up on our scabby knees stagger to our feet, and summon the courage to try again. Just when we\u2019re ready to give up, one more tremor unearths a second wind and a vein of resilience that we didn\u2019t know we had. A sudden jolt sizzles through us, and we\u2019re fueled with pit-bull determination. One extra push and we plough through the smackdown moments that had brought us to our knees, moving over the finish line.<\/p>\n

You can build a growth mindset by waiting for your reserves to kick in and learning how much more you\u2019re capable of. If you give up too soon, you\u2019ll never know if you had it in you to pull it off. And that\u2019s a tough unknown to live with. In the heat of the moment, ask if you\u2019re pushing hard and far enough through the gray mist of uncertainty. Or do you need to amp up your efforts? And how far do you stretch before reaching your breaking point? Most of us can go farther than we think we can. The term \u201cspringback\u201d refers to a process when metal returns to its original shape after undergoing compression and tension (stretching). We, too, have an elastic limit to which we can stretch to a certain point before returning to our original shape. Springback moments happen after failure, mistakes, or hopelessness over seemingly impossible odds, preventing us from giving up on our writing dreams, no matter how improbable they seem.<\/p>\n

Here are ways your \u201ctremor of truth\u201d can mine the hidden reserves you didn\u2019t know you had\u2014golden opportunities to cultivate a growth mindset and push through veins of writing hardships:<\/p>\n

1. Grow thick skin and expect writing rejections and setbacks. Commit yourself in advance to facing the many smackdowns you will encounter like all successful writers before you.
\n2. Ditch the desire for comfort and step into writing\u2019s growth pains. Be willing to go to the edge of your emotional pain so you can be fully present with what lays beyond the barrier.
\n3. Cultivate creative sustainability. Think of yourself as an elastic band that bends and stretches to a certain point before you spring back higher than you fall.
\n4. Turn roadblocks into steppingstones. Pinpoint opportunity contained in difficulty. Make it a goal to use negative writing challenges\u2014no matter how painful, frustrating, big or small\u2014as lessons from which to learn. Ask, \u201cWhat can I manage or overcome here?\u201d or \u201cHow can I turn this matter around to my advantage?\u201d
\n5. Refer to previous experience. Reflect on past writing obstacles you\u2019ve overcome. Point to lessons learned and underscore ways you have grown stronger through writing\u2019s hard knocks.
\n6. Take risks. Find that one place in your writing where you\u2019ve been hiding, then stick your neck out from your comfort zone. Ask what edge you can go to in your writing. Seek out risky writing experiences that help you bloom instead of low-risk situations that keep you safe in a bud.
\n7. Identify self-doubts that have cramped your writing style or crippled you from growing fully as a writer. Harness them\u2014instead of running from them\u2014and channel them into useful writing so they don\u2019t paralyze you.
\n8. Stay off the roller coaster. Manage the ups-and-downs of your writing practice by treating highs and lows equally. Celebrate the highs but don\u2019t take them anymore seriously than the lows, and don\u2019t take downturns anymore seriously than upswings.
\n9. Eschew the what-the-hell effect. This attitude only adds insult to injury. Face writing letdowns by taking the towel you want to throw in and use it to wipe the sweat off your face then hop back into your writing saddle.
\n10. Stop throwing the book at yourself and catch yourself when you fall. After a setback or discouraging situation, we bounce back to our writing quicker when we support ourselves with loving-kindness. Instead of kicking yourself when you\u2019re down, be on your own side, wish yourself well, and be your best advocate as you progress on your writing journey.<\/p>\n

\n

Bryan E. Robinson is the author of 35 nonfiction books and two novels. His books have been translated into thirteen languages, and he’s been featured on 20\/20, Good Morning America, ABC’s World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, NBC Universal, The CBS Early Show, CNBC’s The Big Idea. Robinson maintains a private psychotherapy practice and lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains with his spouse and four dogs. Visit him online at www.bryanrobinsonbooks.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My courage is faith\u2014faith in the eternal resilience of me\u2014that joy\u2019ll come back, and hope and spontaneity. \u2014F. Scott Fitzgerald At this writing, I can bench press 150 pounds. It wasn\u2019t easy. I put everything I had into it. My … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12751,"featured_media":55630,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6,23],"tags":[4650,4631,66,4629,6470,4636],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is A Tremor of Truth?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is A Tremor of Truth?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My courage is faith\u2014faith in the eternal resilience of me\u2014that joy\u2019ll come back, and hope and spontaneity. \u2014F. Scott Fitzgerald At this writing, I can bench press 150 pounds. It wasn\u2019t easy. I put everything I had into it. My … Continue reading →\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-02-23T04:31:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-02-27T15:29:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-02-22-at-8.30.25-PM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"832\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"514\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"BryanRobinson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-02-22-at-8.30.25-PM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-02-22-at-8.30.25-PM.png\",\"width\":832,\"height\":514},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/\",\"name\":\"What is A Tremor of Truth?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-02-23T04:31:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-02-27T15:29:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7d7f6c422effe566cdafc709ffe0bd77\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is a Tremor of Truth?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7d7f6c422effe566cdafc709ffe0bd77\",\"name\":\"BryanRobinson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cfc3970b3d0a737b7060daa093d44b21?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cfc3970b3d0a737b7060daa093d44b21?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"BryanRobinson\"},\"description\":\"Bryan E. Robinson is the author of 35 nonfiction books and two novels. His books have been translated into thirteen languages, and he's been featured on 20\/20, Good Morning America, ABC's World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, NBC Universal, The CBS Early Show, CNBC's The Big Idea. Robinson maintains a private psychotherapy practice and lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains with his spouse and four dogs. Visit him online at www.bryanrobinsonbooks.com.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/bryanrobinson\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is A Tremor of Truth?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is A Tremor of Truth?","og_description":"My courage is faith\u2014faith in the eternal resilience of me\u2014that joy\u2019ll come back, and hope and spontaneity. \u2014F. Scott Fitzgerald At this writing, I can bench press 150 pounds. It wasn\u2019t easy. I put everything I had into it. My … Continue reading →","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/","og_site_name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain","article_published_time":"2018-02-23T04:31:14+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-02-27T15:29:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":832,"height":514,"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-02-22-at-8.30.25-PM.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@pickthebrain","twitter_site":"@pickthebrain","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"BryanRobinson","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/","name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-02-22-at-8.30.25-PM.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-02-22-at-8.30.25-PM.png","width":832,"height":514},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/","name":"What is A Tremor of Truth?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2018-02-23T04:31:14+00:00","dateModified":"2018-02-27T15:29:09+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7d7f6c422effe566cdafc709ffe0bd77"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/tremor-of-truth\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is a Tremor of Truth?"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7d7f6c422effe566cdafc709ffe0bd77","name":"BryanRobinson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cfc3970b3d0a737b7060daa093d44b21?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cfc3970b3d0a737b7060daa093d44b21?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"BryanRobinson"},"description":"Bryan E. Robinson is the author of 35 nonfiction books and two novels. His books have been translated into thirteen languages, and he's been featured on 20\/20, Good Morning America, ABC's World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, NBC Universal, The CBS Early Show, CNBC's The Big Idea. Robinson maintains a private psychotherapy practice and lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains with his spouse and four dogs. Visit him online at www.bryanrobinsonbooks.com.","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/bryanrobinson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54065"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12751"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}