I knew setting myself a big goal like The Million Dollar Adventure (write a million words in 4 months) was going to stir up the Doubt Dragons big time. The DDs this week are about the size of wasps, but there are thousands of them, with the same clouding, stinging effect of a disturbed hornet’s nest.

I have done many unnecessary things, while listening to a running narrative of “I have to write 10,000 words today. I have to.”

I...