My inner critic always has something to say. No matter the project or the occasion, he finds fault with everything I do. Sometimes this leads to further improvement of my work. Other times, perhaps even most times, he pulls me to a halt. For years, I hoped he would disappear. That with success and confidence, his voice would dim.
Now perhaps that is what happens for some. It might turn out to be the case for you. But it is not what happened for me. At this point, I have sold multiple stories and make a fair bit of my living from writing. I have sent hundreds of query letters, submissions, and proposals. And now, I’ve reached a point where if you ask me to complete a project, I’ll smile and cheerily agree if it fits within my schedule. But on the inside, especially when I sit down to write, I’m often cringing at the harsh words of my inner critic.
Just because the inner critic can’t be silenced, doesn’t mean his impact can’t be lessened. These are the practical things I learned to do to keep my inner critic in check and finish my stories.
Personify the Problem
This may be one of the oddest ones on the list, so let’s get it out of the way. So long as that little voice inside my head was an abstract concept that often sounded as if it was based on logic, my inner critic was much more intimidating. So I created a persona around him. Gave him a name and everything. I don’t have a problem disagreeing with other people, and this helped me gain distance even though, essentially, I’m disagreeing with myself. I remind myself that my inner critic may sometimes make good points but he isn’t always right, and in the end, sometimes he must be ignored.
Set Deadlines and Hold Yourself to Them
There is something about a deadline that forces inspiration. Necessity and unemployment forced me to work faster than I was comfortable, and often I simply didn’t have time to indulge my insecurities. Now that the law firm is doing better, there are other ways to pay the rent and buy groceries so some of the pressure is off. I find that setting deadlines helps significantly, even if I am the one choosing the due date.
Give Yourself Permission to be Flawed
One good thing I can say about the inner critic is that he genuinely wants good work to be produced. So the benefit of an inner critic is that he pushes you to grow and improve, sometimes. But when you are drafting, you need to give yourself permission to write terribly if that’s what it takes. The point of the rough draft is to slap the words out on the page and finetune them later.
Breaking down the complex tasks of prepping, drafting, editing, and polishing is made far simpler if you focus on the primary goal of each stage rather than attempting perfection from the beginning. Then, when you reach the last stage, give yourself a cut-off point and make yourself send it off. If you’re like me, you will have to make a firm cut-off because otherwise you will polish endlessly and there will always be something that can be improved.
Remember You Will Continue to Grow
Often most of the pressure I feel from the inner critic revolves around what I think I should be doing and the level I think I should be at. But, as Ernest Hemingway said, “we are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
The only way to improve is to read, write, learn, and complete projects. You don’t have to be perfect now, but just because you are not perfect does not mean your stories are not good or that they do not have value. Give yourself permission to develop.
Take a Chance on Yourself
Sometimes you have to hit that “send” button with the inner critic shrieking like a banshee. You can’t wait until you feel ready. In all the pieces I’ve submitted, I have never felt ready. And when it comes to competitions, fellowships, and other opportunities, the only way you win is if you take a chance.
There have been far too many times that I finished a story or an essay, and, even though I did my best (even paying for formal editing in some cases), I shelved them rather than send them off. I’ll never know how they would have been received, and that is my loss.
Get Yourself an Accountability Partner
In addition to setting deadlines, I find it helpful to have an accountability partner. I’ve had several over the years. Sometimes we talk about stories more in-depth and even critique one another’s works. Other times, it’s a matter of “hey, did you get that story sent off to the magazine?” or “how’s that project coming?” Such simple check-ins can make a great difference.
Each of us responds to our inner critics in different manners, but most struggle with the crippling self-doubt and the fear of imperfection. While you may not be able to beat the inner critic entirely, you can lessen his impact. Try these tips and experiment with other methods, but most importantly keep trying. Even with a noisy critic, you can pursue your dreams and improve your craft.
J. M. Butler is an author, attorney, and adventurer who adores writing speculative fiction, especially high fantasy. She graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2009 and went off to law school where she met and married James Fry. Then they returned to Indiana where they started their own firm. Together they serve in their church’s youth group and search for new adventures and great new stories wherever they can.
You can get updates about J. M. Butler’s stories and her work at www.jmbutler.org, and if you’d like to chat, talk stories, or ask questions, feel free to drop her a note