The Psychology Behind Writing

What’s so hard about putting words on paper?

Well it’s a lot harder than you think when you bring psychology to the picture.

Take your thoughts for example. All those doubts, criticisms, and insecurities from years long gone have piled up. And sometimes when you’re not careful, they’ll peek out at you, disguising themselves as your own thoughts.

And the results?

Well, it’s not a pretty picture.

What Holds You Back from Your Writing

flickr photo courtesy of: Lady/Bird

In Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life, author Gregg Levoy says, “If we don’t confront them, if we don’t even consciously hear them, they will end up authoring our own undoing.” And that’s the kind of authoring no one wants to be an author of.

Those thoughts are the ones that pick at us when we’re querying, that taunt us when we’re already down, that makes us question every single word we type. It is the unconscious editor and dictator that believes we will fail. It is our mother, father, sibling, childhood bully who didn’t know any better. And even after the original voices are gone, they are still alive in our minds.

It’s sad really. Levoy does a better job of describing the feeling of holding ourselves back from our true potential: “This self-censorship is all done very quietly, though, in the muffled blood and the dark unconscious, and we only see its effects in our personal abdications of power and responsibility, in the ways we turn away from our calls, and in the regrets that rise up from our lives like heat, in waves.”

Tips for Preventing Ourselves from Interfering with Our Writing

1. Hide from your unconscious – This is a temporary fix for an issue that may need deeper work. But if you’re in search for an easy way to deal with your thoughts, try writing when you’re tired. It sounds crazy to write when you feel like shutting your eyes, but when you are bright eyed and bushy tailed, you are more aware of your fears. Trust me, I’ve tried it. The more exhausted I am, the more my writing flows. Spend your energy on editing the next day.
2. Wake up to it – If you want lasting changes to your problem, you need to be conscious of it. I don’t know her exact quote, but Oprah Winfrey essentially said you get back the energy you give. The next time you apply for a writing gig or work on your article, tune into how you are feeling. Keep track of your emotion and then record the outcome of the job or the article. A lot of times are insecurities and self-doubt come back as a rejected email or an unsatisfactory response to our submissions.
3. Talk back – Maybe the best way to deal with your negative thoughts is to talk back to it. Tell it that you are capable, worthy and brilliant. And remember to say it often.

What about you?

Got any tips to help minimize the negative inner voices?