Writing in the Dark

It’s almost Halloween, but I’m not talking literal here. {Though I must admit the visual of a glow-in-the-dark pen, a notebook and a flashlight sound pretty cool to me.}

What I’m talking about is what happens when you write with your mind half-conscious, semi-aware.

Even as a full-time writer and someone who writes every day, I still catch myself doing it too. And it’s not a pretty picture.

I think somewhere a long, long time ago, I got the impression that I wasn’t that creative. And more importantly, that I was a terrible, terrible writer. So instead of fessing up, throwing my hands up in the air and saying, “Okay, you win! I suck.” I repressed that side of myself only seeing it when it showed itself as half-ass effort.

I did the same with essays and assignments in school. Instead of reading and sharing my graded paper in class with peers anxious to know, I quickly turned over my paper and stuffed it in my bag. It was only hours later in the comfort of my own home that I mustered enough courage to see it.

Sadly, all that fear prevented me from getting to my dreams faster. And while I’m still not “cured” of writing in the dark, I’m much more conscious of it now. I’ve even learned a few tips and tricks along the way to beat those shadows.

Here are a few that helps:

                   1. Kill them with kindness. Rejected letters and unanswered emails can wreak havoc on a writer’s ego. To keep that in check, prepare a file of positive emails, tweets, Facebook updates and in-person compliments from people who have said something nice about you or your writing.

2. Pretend you’re reading someone else’s work. One of the things that I’ve had trouble with in the past is rereading my writing. Somehow my inner critic knows when I’m feeling my worst and hits me at those vulnerable moments. But I found a way to trick it by pretending that what I’m reading is actually the writing of someone else. Somehow it takes the focus off of me and onto my work.

3. Patience and practice. Okay it’s not rocket science. But of all the things that has helped me get passed my self-consciousness as a writer is to keep writing. Eventually, the writing gets better, the novelty of finding something negative wears off and I get better at letting go and moving on. Just keep writing and eventually you’ll become less concerned about how others are seeing your work and more on good writing.

4. Talk back. If you find yourself making automatic statements like, “I’m never going to get that published” or “My writing’s just not good enough,” instead of feeding the negativity with more negative thoughts, try talking back with positive ones. Attack the critic with curiosity and statements like this, “I’m working every day to reach my goal of getting published.” Or, “what evidence do I have that my writing’s not good enough?” “No writer became famous in a day.” “All the work I’m doing now will eventually lead me to become the writer that I want to be.”

 What helps you follow the light instead of the shadows when you write?