You know about the Blue Car Syndrome, right? It says that when you buy a blue car, you suddenly start seeing blue cars everywhere. It doesn't mean that there are actually more blue cars than before, it just means that you're more aware of them.
About a month ago, I read something about The Lizard Brain. It suggested that humans have this part of our psyche that is so risk-averse, so focused on survival, it will actively work to prevent you from doing something you think is risky – even something you really want to do, like starting a business or writing a novel or doing something creative.
Since I read that, I've seen lots of authors and bloggers talking about The Lizard Brain, and I've become keenly aware of my own Lizard Brain as I work on the keynote for PAX East. It really needs to be done in about 21 days (at least 5 of which are going to be unavailable to me because I'm working on Big Bang Theory) and it isn't nearly as close to completion as I want. As you can imagine, panic and deadline pressure are rising like mental floodwaters, and that's not the most productive mental state for writing an interesting and entertaining speech. Well, played, Lizard Brain. I see what you did there.
The bad part of this is that I keep getting stalled and frustrated while I attempt to find the spine upon which I need to attach and connect the various parts of my keynote address. The good part of this is that my brain keeps blocking me from writing the keynote by coughing up some of the most interesting short story ideas I've had in months. In an effort to take the good with the bad and walk away with a net positive (awesome keynote and some cool short stories), I've been working on the keynote during the day, and then unwinding by working on the shorts. Working on the shorts has become my daily reward, in other words; it's really good motivation.
This is where I'd quote a little bit of the short I've been working on, but I've learned that doing that before it's finished, even if it's only a dozen words, completely aborts the writing process. I like this story too much to even risk not finishing it, so in place of a quote, I'll draw an ASCII dong: 8=====D
This is where I wrap this up with a concluding paragraph that hopefully elevates this post from mildly-interesting reading to something useful: When you're working on something that terrifies the Lizard Brain into action, don't panic! Acknowledge what it's trying to do, accept that it's part of the hardware, and write a software patch to work around it. It doesn't have to be a bug; it can be a feature.
Edited to add: I couldn't recall all the places I read about The Lizard Brain, but in the comments here, Nathaniel S. reminded me:
Seth Godin has just released a book entitled Linchpin that explores ways to both soothe and overcome the lizard brain. There's a fantastic interview/conversation between him and Merlin Mann on the subject over at 43 Folders. It's a tad long, but very worth it.
http://www.43folders.com/2010/01/26/godin-linchpin
It also includes a video of Godin talking about the lizard brain and "the resistance" and how innovative and creative people can break through it to get stuff done, or "ship" as he puts it.
I'm not surprised at all that this came to me via Seth Godin, because I read his blog every day. His book Purple Cow
is the foundation of my marketing and business philosophy, and Merlin Mann's … well, everything, is inspiring to me. To be clear: I wasn't making an effort to not credit Seth; I just forgot where my recent Lizard Brain thoughts originated.
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Sultry. The night, was sultry.
I always heard of it as Blue Buick Syndrome… or you could call it Red Neon Syndrome, or Green Escort Syndrome… It’s not just the color that triggers it, it’s the model too… we look for the familiar, and fairly often, we find it…
The Baader-Meinhof Group was another name for the Red Army Faction, one of Germany’s most violent communist terror groups. It was founded in 1970 by Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin, Horst Mahler, and Ulrike Meinhof. I still think Blue Buick Syndrome is a better name though…
I didn't know there was a book about it. I've just seen it on a lot of different blogs recently; so many blogs, in fact, that I can't even remember which ones, or I would have offered some links.
AH-HA! SETH GODIN! *That's* where I read this most recently. Thanks for the link. I'm updating the post right now.
Ahahaha. Excellent reference.
Matter of fact, he did a post on it today. It showed up in my inbox – and read it shortly before reading this post.
Creepy.
Lizard Brain…ah…that explains why I can’t really get myself to take this photography business super serious and really move on it. Argh!
I really wasn’t sure what to expect from a post about “lizard brains” on your blog…I am much relieved that it wasn’t what I thought it was.
Wil, you might find this interesting. “Willpower And The ‘Slacker’ Brain” or “Listen to Cake Topple Your Brain”. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122781981
Nice post, Wil. I’m a life coach, so I get to work with other people’s Lizard Brains, as well as my own on a daily basis. There’s a great book called “Taming Your Gremlin” by Rick Carson that you might find useful as well.
This post caused my own Blue Car Syndrome moment. The other day I found out through a facebook post that an old classmate of mine was recently interviewed on writingshow.com about his self-publishing experiences (music theory/practice books) and how he makes money by giving his books away for free. He talked extensively about Seth Godin and his book Unleashing the Ideavirus. The whole time I was listening to the interview I was thinking how much the subject matter reminded me of Wil Wheaton.
The interview: http://www.writingshow.com/podcasts/2010/02212010.html
“Write drunk, edit sober”
Man, I have actually *done* that, and felt like it was a betrayal of the writing gods. Now that you have placed it under a different light, I don’t feel so guilty about liking what I wrote while drunk. A few minor spelling corrections, maybe restructure a sentence … but the content was great!
Thanks for the encouragement. It’s appreciated!
Interesting concept. That might actually work. I once had a writing project with an assigned first line; I really couldn’t find a story in it, and I struggled for days trying to find one. Then suddenly, I started writing dumb beginnings (none of which I used) … which then led to thinking of the subject from an entirely different angle. Once finished, my piece had very little to do with that opening line; but the story was really good, and my writer’s block was gone.
LMAO!! Damn those Sleestacks!
But, but how did they manage to get UP the waterfall to invade modern day Earth?!?!?
Thanks to your post, here, I was finally able to unwrap the canvas I’ve been staring at all week. As always, I appreciate your insight, and inspirational blogs. Thanks!
Oh yeah, I read about this in a book by Barbara Sher called, “Live the Life you Love”: http://www.barbarasher.com/livethe.htm
Chapter 6 is about what she calls “resistance” and likens it to a survival mechanism passed down by our ancestors.
She’s got a few good techniques for recognizing when the resistance to change is causing anxiety and soothing it so you can actually get things done.
I never finished following her suggestions (my resistance to change is nice and healthy, apparently!). I’ll need to read the “Lizard Brain”, see how his techniques compare to hers.
Wil,
Do you by any chance have posts such as the above as part of a category readers can sift through, as you do other subjects on your archives page? I know you’ve posted other helpful writing links in the past, and you’ve written some inspirational posts of your own as well. It would be awesome to be able access all of those easily.
Thanks for the links to the Seth Godin video and interview. I’d never heard of this concept before and has given me a new perspective. Right now my lizard brain is telling me not to type this because Wil will think you are a fool.
Well damn, Wil, you just informed me what the hell is wrong with my life in general! Seriously…I say that I’m going to do shit, even actually get motivated to do shit, and then all of a sudden I just flake out at the last minute. Have a huge melt-down and say “fuck it, I’m not doing this!” My therapist (go ahead and act shocked that I have a therapist, I dare you…LOL) calls this “panic disorder,” but I really think you’re on to something here, or rather Seth Godin is onto something here. Fucking Lizard Brain. Of all the things and neuroses that I have wrong with me, it turns out that it’s my Lizard Brain’s fault. Good to know.
You know what’s kind of funny? That this could be true of every car. Take for instance my 23-year-old red Toyota Corolla. I see people driving that car everywhere I go! The fact that there are that many 23-year-old red Corolla’s that are still operational is frakking mind-blowing to me sometimes. It’s a shame this can’t be said for Toyota’s entire 2010 line…I haven’t seen a new one in weeks. lol
Funny thing about this post…I’m experiencing this phenom as i read it. I’ve had at least five encounters with this in the last two months…hows that for irony?
Wil, The timing of this post (or at least my reading of it) couldn’t have been better. I happened to read it as a reward for spending a few hours on my Pitch for some early seed money (from momentum-mi.com) for a web app that I’m building.
Your description of the Lizard Brain struck a nerve because the pitch process is scaring the bejeezus out of me. I’m 41 years old and this is the first time in my life that I’ve had the balls to take one of my ideas and just run with it. I’m sure that reading about your fears and self-doubt of becoming a professional writer over the last few years has helped me work through my own fears.
Thank you.
I feel oddly gleeful to have amused you.
A couple of weeks ago, the Lizard Brain came up on an episode of The Mentalist. Ever since I’ve been seeing them every where too.
My Lizard Brain just wants coffee and to be allowed to pee without being interrupted by a smallish person. If only it wanted to help me write…