Originally published on LinkedIn in November, 2023.
As a writer, our inner critics will berate us worse than anyone out there. It’s like these voices in our head are mentally preparing us for the worst to be said yet paralyzing us with crippling fear at the same time.
“Your writing is shitty.”
“WTF is this manifesto.”
“Are you even a writer?”
No matter what stage you are in your craft, this affects us all equally. In a weird way, when I started out these cynical voices weren’t as prominent because I was still learning to find my voice. But once I became a tad more seasoned, my inner critics became much harsher. Maybe because I know what good work looked like, and anytime my writing fell below that, these chattering gremlins would pull me down.
There’s no magic cure to get rid of them. Because what you resist, persists. But here’s some things that have helped ease these ruminating thoughts.
Meditation: Allowing me to observe them vs engaging.
Naming: Personifying these voices as the “others,” knowing they are not I.
Writing them down: Breaking down the thinking
Morning Pages: Shout out to Julia Cameron and the Morning Pages
This list is not exhaustive but it’s helped tremendously. Here’s to hoping these inner critics STFU once and for all.
