I love this Ted Talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat, Pray, Love,” about how changing her relationship with her creativity greatly improved her writing process. I now talk to an empty corner of my writing room every day.

If you’re doing NaNoWriMo, this mental shift could be the difference between giving up under the intense mental pressure or finishing your novel.

Whether you believe that there is such a thing as a Muse or not, taking your ego out of the writing process and focusing more closely on the work can increase your productivity and lower your stress levels.

Joe Bunting, founder of The Write Practice and Story Cartel talks about another method for separating your ego from your creative process:  he tells the story of a therapist who helped a screenwriter break through writer’s block by praying every day to write the worst novel ever.