5 Ways to Turn Off Your Inner Editor and Get More Writing Done

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Our inner editor is an enemy to our muse—here’s how to shut it up.

I think writers would get a lot more written if there was a first draft keyboard without a delete or backspace key, and a mouse that didn’t let you click on anything but the menus. Sure, those first drafts would be a mess, but we’d be free to just type and let the words flow without the ability to fix them—so there’d be no inner editor telling us to go back and tweak it.

It’s only natural yo want to to write the best draft possible, but sometimes the creative process needs to be set free to flow unhindered to get anywhere. Constantly stopping to tweak or fix a word can sap our creative energy and lower our productivity.

Now, I’m not saying you have to go crazy every writing session and make a mess, but setting aside some time to write without that inner editor nagging you is a liberating experience. The more you get used to it, the less that editor shouts in your ear while you’re trying to work. Maybe try it one or two times a week and see how it goes. Or do it for a week and see how it affects your productivity.

Tell Your Inner Editor to Calm the #$@! Down

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

In our crazy modern world, the desire (and expectation) for instant perfect is high. We want things to work right the first time, regardless of what those “things” are. They might be gadgets, relationships, or even our words.

This is especially tough on us writers.

A first draft is all about imperfection and getting ideas down. It’s where we make our mistakes and run down dead ends and cause a mess. It’s where the creativity happens.