Battery Operated Heater

Im trying to make a 12 V Battery operated heater with a fan. When i connect a heating element, everythign else shuts down. When I connect a resistor in series with the element, everythig else stays on, but the resistor heats up and the element does not. Any ideas what i could be doing wrong.
Also, I was using a coil as my heating element, does anyone have any other ideas as to what i could use as a heating element. Id like to keep it under 5W.

how about puttig the fan by the resistor and that heats the air :lol:
It's friday so no many ideas.....

The resistor is limiting the current to the heating element, not allowing the current to flw and disipating this as heat.... that is why the resistance heats up.

How do you have everything else connected, so that everything shuts down when the heating element is connected?

Your battery is inadequate.