Zestful Blog Post #271
The most-highlighted passage in the e-book versions of You’ve Got a Book in You is where I tell
writers it’s essential to give themselves permission to write poorly. That
passage resonates, because self-criticism dwells within all of us. But if you give
yourself permission to produce crummy stuff, you will have the chance to
improve. You may or may not improve, but you’ll have the chance.
But that’s just theory, right? The doubts and negativity
that spew from the little bitch or bastard on your shoulder as you write—or sit
there staring at your notebook or blank screen—are real. Yes! Those ugly, hissed
words: Who the hell do you think you are?
You suck. You can’t. You’ll never amount to anything as a writer because not
only do you suck, your work sucks, and there’s so little of it! And everybody
knows it. Anybody who says they find value in your work is just being phony
with you because they feel sorry for you. What a crummy loser! Honestly. Hey,
here’s an idea: Don’t you wanna check how many likes you got on your last post
on whatever the hell social media? Right now? Hey, why don’t you just quit
writing for now and go buy a tub of that gourmet ice cream? You’ll only eat a
little bit of it. You’ll save the rest for tomorrow.
Right.
I mean, did you laugh? Because it’s so ridiculous when you see
it all laid out.
Here’s the thing: You can never shut up the bitch or bastard
on your shoulder by force. In fact, they love it when you try to force them to
shut up. It just gives them more dramatic attention, more strength. So, what do
you do? Welcome them. Listen coldly, then go, “Thanks for the shit, pal. I’ll
listen to you again soon, but now I’m getting back to work. Chillax until we
meet again.”
[When I tried to look at her
objectively, in order to draw what she really looks like,
she disappeared. Baffling.]
The fact is, every master started out a klutzy,
anxiety-stricken novice. The novices who prevailed to some level of competence
learned a key mantra: “So what?”
And that’s all there really is to it. Your work is
imperfect. So what? Mine is too. You didn’t get as much done as you wanted. So
what? Neither did I. All that matters is that you do it. If the little bitch or
bastard hammers at you, so what?
“So what?” is an incredibly freeing mantra.
Do you have any tips on how to work through a self-inflicted
shitstorm? How do you pick yourself up if the bitch/bastard gets you down for a
while? To post, click below where it says, 'No Comments,' or '2 Comments,' or
whatever.
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