In my last blog, I wrote about those critical voices inside our heads that never seem to completely leave the creative process.
If you’re struggling with your inner critic in your writing practice, here are three things to try:
- Acknowledge it. Rather than trying to ignore or banish the fear that arises alongside your creativity, try recognizing it, acknowledging it’s there and why. Often that fear is seeking to protect you, and witnessing it and accepting it as part of you and your process can lessen its hold on your creative voice. You can witness its concerns without surrendering to them.
- Characterize it. Turn your inner critic into a character–visualize it, draw it, create a collage. Give your inner critic a name, an appearance, a personality. Exaggerating some ridiculous quality can help that critical voice lose some of its power and even humanize it.
- Question it. Rather than trusting it, ask your inner critic questions. Ask why it's saying what it's saying or what evidence it has for its claims. You’ll probably find your inner critic isn’t used to being challenged or approached with curiosity rather than fear. Though it may get louder initially, its panicky, flustered tone will make it clear it doesn’t have much backing it up.
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Here are a few additional resources on working with your inner critic:
Get Rid of That Jerk by Sarah Selecky
6 Ways To Fight Your Inner Critics by Julia Crouch for Writer's Digest
How to silence your inner critic: Embrace it. by Jessica Abel
