There are so many negative voices a writer must face and overcome. Today I want to talk about how writers can eliminate the “This is Terrible” Voice.
This is a persistent voice. That’s about the only good thing I can say about it, and only because persistent is a favorable quality, although not exactly favorable for an annoying voice that torments writers at every stage of their manuscript or creation development.
That’s right. This voice will show up at every stage of creation. It doesn’t matter if you’re almost done or if you’re only just beginning. This voice will, at some point or another, make its presence known.
What the “This is Terrible” Voice boils down to is what writers in the past have called internal editors. These are the editors that hound you when you’re in the process of writing. They dog your heels even if you can outrun them with your typing speed. There is always a voice in the back of your mind telling you this—whatever you’re writing—is terrible.
What’s important is that the voice remains in the back of your mind rather than in the forefront. So we’re going to talk about two different reasons why this voice can hinder even the most seasoned of writers.
The first is perfectionism. I suffer from this condition myself. I want everything I write to be perfect, the first time out. I’m not quite as bad as I used to be, because now I fully understand the process of writing and how perfection, if it can ever be achieved, is only reached in the revision. Usually multiple revisions.
But if you’re still in the beginning stages of your writing career, or you find that perfectionism is so loud and distracting that you can hardly write, here are three things you can do to eliminate the “This is Terrible” voice—or maybe just make it grow quieter:
1. Let a little of the pressure off.
I know this is easier said than done. We all want our writing to be flawless and wonderful. But the reality is that the first time we put it down on paper is only about one-tenth of the process. The sooner we can accept and understand that, the less likely that this voice will persist.
[Tweet “Writing a first draft is only one-tenth of the process. Revising is where the magic happens.”]
2. Remember that you are a growing writer.
The writer I am today is not the writer I was yesterday. I am better today. I will be even better tomorrow. This is true for you as well. So when perfectionism descends upon your mind, remember that of course this isn’t the best you will ever do. You are still learning, and you will always be learning. We continue learning and growing and improving our entire lives, which means no manuscript will ever be perfect.
Now, disclaimer here: Don’t let this “I’ll be a better writer tomorrow” keep you from sharing your work with the world right now. Don’t use it as an excuse. You will never share anything with the world if you’re always waiting until you become a better writer. This is a journey, not a destination.
3. Read a bad book.
There is nothing like reading a bad book—and there are plenty of these out there—to make us feel like maybe it’s okay if our book isn’t perfect. At least it’s better than this.
The second reason the “This is Terrible” voice comes around is because of our insecurity. Writers have so much insecurity, don’t we? I know I do. I read a really great book, and I think I’ll never be able to do that, which makes me, inevitably, look on my manuscript in progress as not a work of art, but trash.
And that, in turn, makes me a little angry. (It’s also not true that I will never be able to do that, because of the constantly growing thing. I may not be able to write a book exactly like that one, because I’m a different person. But I’ll be able to reach my own genius. And so will you).
Here are some ways you can eliminate the “This is Terrible” Voice when you’re feeling insecure:
1. Remind yourself, again, that it only gets better from here.
If you’re consistently practicing your writing and telling stories and crafting essays, you’re not going to get worse. You’ll be consistently improving. So that gives a little hope for today.
[Tweet “If you’re consistently practicing your writing, you’ll consistently improve.”]
2. Remember that it gets easier every time you do it.
This is for the insecurity about publishing or sharing work with the world. The first time I decided I was going to blog, my hand shook as it hovered over the publish button. I didn’t know what would happen. Would people read it? Would they respond? Would they think it was terrible? I almost didn’t publish it. I’m glad I did, though. I’ve been blogging now for four years, and I can say, with certainty, that every time I’m ready to hit the publish button, I don’t even think about it anymore. It’s gotten a whole lot easier.
3. Do your part to learn and grow.
I’m of the opinion that we should never, ever stop learning more about our craft and the mechanics around book writing and creativity and running a writing business. I’m constantly reading books and scouring web sites with valuable resources. I want to always be growing, because I don’t want to ever be satisfied with the skills I have at any moment in time. We can always improve. And our improvement will also lift our self esteem.
[Tweet “We should never, ever stop learning more about and growing in our writing craft.”]
