Whenever I sit down to revise a book for submission, I know I’m in for some interference from my inner critic. Through the years of writing and publishing, I’ve learned this is now the moment when my most negative voices attack – not just in an attempt to insult my abiity or content, but to derail my progress and threaten the deadline.
An excerpt from Defeat Your Inner Critic:
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” -William Shakespeare
Who is more qualified than you to bring your writing to life? Whether you maintain a journal, aspire to monetize your blog, or want to write epic novels, if you won’t write the stories in your heart or chronicle your journey for others, who will?
Countless novels have been written and countless more are pitched to editors every day. Yet only you can tell the story of your heart. Articles on mindset and success and overcoming adversity are written every day, and yet no one else can express what you went through the way you can, because no one else has your insight or viewpoint. Your experience colors your worldview and your worldview becomes interwoven in the unique message you need to share, no matter what industry you’re in.
Your inner critic can mutter, shout, or otherwise throw a tantrum, but it can’t win unless you give it that space and power.
A consistent writing habit, even if only a daily journal entry, can reveal your strengths, offer insight to your deepest desire and creat affirming evidence of success to help you ward off the negativity of the inner critic.
Give yourself time to write, preferably a few minutes each day at the minimum, without the burden of expectation hovering over your shoulder. Let the words flow free, without thought or care, and let that time build up your confidence so you can more easily give your inner critic the cold shoulder.
Whatever your inner critic sounds like, there are ways to overcome, through strategy, positive self-talk, and perseverance.
Live the writing adventure!
4April2018
