Every time I sit down to try to write this blog post every Friday there is a little voice in my head that reminds me that I’m not really qualified to write advice on writing. The voice probably has a point but I choose to ignore it.
There are tons of writers who talk about the discouraging voices in their heads. I’m not the first or even a rare example. There are tons of writing tips that say to just ignore it. So I’m not saying anything new here. Not really.
Except I’m not going to tell you to ignore it. When you’re writing and you hear the voice insulting you, about word choice, style or just you and your dreams, ignore it. So I lied just now, I did tell you to ignore it, sorry. Ignore it and keep writing.
Ignore it but don’t turn it off. You’re going to need that voice eventually. You’re going to need it when it comes time to edit because that voice is the most critical reader you will ever have. Treat it as you would treat any other critical reader. Listen to it- see, I told you I wasn’t going to say ignore it- and weigh the advice it gives you and use the bits that you want to use.
Unfortunately the voice starts out with a lot of discouraging ad hominem attacks and very few useful comments about writing. However if you listen to the useful comments and ignore the discouraging ones then you can over time hone the voice to give more useful than disparaging comments. I’ve honed the one in my own head to restrict its insults to my writing. It still gives advice in a very derogatory manner but it gives writing advice all the same. Like that crotchety old english teacher that you can never quite please, it has some good points in there, you just have to take it with a grain of salt.
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