Shhh! Silence the Inner Critic
From book idea to publication and beyond.
Happy Saturday! In today’s newsletter you’ll learn:
📚 Rules for writing prompts
📝 The problem with the inner critic
☞Tips to silence your inner critic
When I was a high school English teacher, I frequently started the class with silent reading, followed by a quick write. I gave the students a writing prompt, set a timer, and we wrote. The rules were simple. Write the whole time. Silence your inner critic. Have fun.
Sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it? Write the whole time just means keep the pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and keep writing. Don’t worry about spelling, punctuation, or pesky grammar rules. Just write as it flows out of you. Free writing or quick writing (some people call it free falling) is just as it sounds. Once students got the hang of it, they started to enjoy this process and stories carried them in unexpected directions. They started having fun (most of the time). Okay, not everyone had fun. But, you know. Can’t please everyone.
It was the second rule that students struggled with during our writing sprints. How can one silence their inner critic? For most of us, that inner dialogue is a constant voice, often telling us our idea is no good, it’s not the right word, that’s not what I want to say. The inner critic can be so cruel; it sometimes stops us from writing at all. I sometimes think of it as a grouchy old man who doesn’t want anyone messing up his lawn, the very lawn he’s been keeping so tidy to be admired, and so no one really enjoys it. Once you learn to hush that inner critic, if only temporarily, something magical happens. A free spirit, an imaginative sprite, arrives on the scene and frolics gleefully through the grass, picking flowers and twirling around the trees.
“Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up.” ~ Ann Bradford
When I’m working on a novel, especially at the beginning stages, I often use free writing before I start drafting as a means to download all of the thoughts I have about a character, setting, or event. I set a timer, write everything I think of, and don’t let my inner critic judge anything. There’s time for that critical voice later. For the Donovan novel, I wrote pages about Essi, and pages about her sister Hanna, exploring each girl individually, and then their relationships. They emerged on the pages as I scribbled madly, trying to keep up with the little sprite swirling in my head.
By the time I was ready to write chapters, the sisters were fully formed in my mind, with painful pasts and dreams of better futures. They were real to me. Had I let that grouchy old man control my thinking in the early formation of these characters, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have been able to write anything at all. Don’t get me wrong. I employed him later. His attention to detail, his logic, is well appreciated in later drafts, but this early stage is all about free expression.
There is absolutely a time and place for pausing and being critical of one’s work, but early planning and drafting is not one of them. Tell that grouchy inner critic to sit down. Your free loving imaginative spirit won’t guide you wrong.
Try these tips to silence your inner critic:
Set a Timer: Write in short bursts with a timer. Focus on getting words down without stopping to edit.
Embrace Imperfection: Accept that the first draft doesn't need to be perfect—it's about getting your ideas out.
Positive Affirmations: Start your writing sessions with positive affirmations to build confidence.
Write Freely: Allow yourself to write without judgment. Give your inner critic a "time-out."
Create a Ritual: Develop a pre-writing ritual to signal your brain it's time to create, not critique.
Focus on Progress, Not Perfection: Celebrate small wins and progress rather than aiming for perfection.
Separate Writing and Editing: Write first, edit later. Don't let your inner critic interrupt your creative process.
Visualize Success: Imagine the joy and fulfillment of completing your work to stay motivated.
Change Your Environment: Write in a different location to refresh your mindset and push past criticism.
Keep a Journal: Document your achievements and struggles. Reflecting on progress can silence the inner critic.
📚 Upcoming Offerings:
Women Writing Circle
The Women Writing Circle will meet on the second and last Monday of the month from 6:30-8:00 PM EST starting January 13, 2025. This offering is for paid subscribers. You can learn more about the benefits of subscribing here. I’m looking forward to creating a magical writing community with you, and getting some pages written in 2025.
8-Week Winter Group Book Coaching
Only ONE spot left in the Winter Group Book Coaching sessions and it can be yours. Please contact me at liisabookcoach@gmail.com if you have any questions or to register.
Happy writing!
