Exorcising Your Demons

Hello Kiddies! No, I don't mean exorcising your demons, like when little Reagan spewed pea soup all over the priest and yelled, "I'm the devil!" I mean exorcising your writing demons. I spoke before on stress causing writers to not write as often as they should. I think most writers have experienced that.

What I mean is thinking that you're not good enough as a writer. Evanescence has a song entitled, "Sweet Sacrifice." A particular verse is pertinent to my topic. It goes, "Fear is only in our minds, but it's taking over all the time." Sometimes even the most brilliant writers think that it's time to give up the ghost, so to speak. Most writers are they're own worst critics. "What if no one likes my story," or "What if my words don't make sense," and "What if my words aren't complex enough." Trust me, I have heard it all.

We need to be our own critics, as well as our own cheerleaders! I know, it may seem like an oxymoron, but it works. If you have to complete revisions, your inner critic says, "Oh, that sucks. Get your butt back in that chair and change it!" But, on the other hand, if you have polished your manuscript and are a little hesitant about sending it out, your inner cheerleader says, "You've done great! Now send out that manuscipt and celebrate!" Okay, I know that was corny but you get the point.

Also, you need to write every day. I think it was Hemingway or Faulkner, I can't remember which, who said to at least write something every day, even if it's just a paragraph a day. Exercise your brain and write daily in order to hone your skills! And exorcise those demons who tell you that you cannot do it! Until next time, America!