Ever heard the phrase, “With great power comes great responsibility”? That applies directly to you as a writer. See, we storytellers are really good at imagining things. Unfortunately, that means we're also really good at screwing ourselves up.
Your Muse's Secret Identity
I talk about your inner critic a lot (that guy is such a jerk).
I've also encouraged you to ignore your capricious muse because it's totally unreliable.
Today, I'm here to tell you your muse and your inner critic are the same thing.
Hear me, fellow writer: your imagination has two maks—your muse and your inner critic.
Your muse is your inner critic. Your inner critic is your muse. Let me explain how.
Your Muse is Moonlighting
Writers are creative. It's one of the key skills that makes us what we are. We have the ability to see connections between people's stories, to follow the threads woven through pain, joy, victory, or loss. We understand character development and plot points on a gut level, even if we can't verbalize them—which is why our taste is good enough to tell when a story is great. You—the writer—are creative.
This means you have a good imagination.
Our imagination is our muse. The muse not a separate thing that we can take off and hang on the hatrack. It's not even inspiration, though that can super-charge us creatively. Imagination—the muse—is as much a part of us as love, hate, fear, and courage.
Imagination means you're capable of seeing things that don't even exist, of a future that's every inch as vivid as the present we're in now.
Here's why this matters: when your imagination turns sour, it gives you vivid, horrifying scenarios about your writing—and since you are a gifted storyteller, those scenarios are believable.
I'm saying that again.
When your imagination turns sour, it gives you vivid, horrifying scenarios about your writing—and since you are a gifted storyteller, those scenarios are believable.
- Do you picture yourself losing friends or family because someone didn't like your writing? Congratulations—that's your muse acting up.
- Have you desperately feared you'll end up some kind of wandering, unpublished weirdo, waving a six-inch-thick manuscript nobody wants? That's your muse being vicious.
- Ever fear that if you try your absolute best to write a book, your absolute best will turn out to be mediocre, robbing you of hope? That is your imagination in the form of your muse, frothing at the mouth and ripping off your leg.
Your muse is your inner critic, and boy, does it speak with power.
The Power of Your Doubts Demonstrates Your Skill
When you're filled with doubts (“Can I? Will I ever? Am I good enough? What will they say?”), understand that those doubts are so powerful because your natural storytelling ability is giving them power.
Your doubts are proof you can do this. The power and persistence of your fears are proof you can be a writer.
You may need to hone your skill. Maybe you need to learn grammar and punctuation. Maybe you need to read more and see what's already out there. Those are all doable items that have nothing to do with your skill level.
How good can you be as a writer? Well, answer that by answering this: how effective are the doubts your muse/critic tells to scare you?
Pretty scary, right? That's how good you can be, and if your monstrous fears are anything like mine, then that means you can become a damn good writer.
The Mask is Off: Time to Take Control of Your Fear
Part of me hated writing that headline because I know there's no one-step “easy” button to take control of writer-fear.
Here's the thing: by knowing that your fears are your storytelling brain working against you, you're gaining a tool to fight those fears off.
You already know the difference between reality and imagination.
- Non-fiction writer: you're capable of distinguishing between the speaking engagement you hope for Someday In The Future and your current status as unpublished-but-driven.
- Fiction writer: you're capable of distinguishing between the world of dragons/vampires/merpeople in your head and the actual non-magical person helping you at the post office.
You already have the ability to take the good things your imagination gives you and tuck them out of the way so you can function. Now, you need to do that very same thing with the bad things.
You Can Become a Writer
So long as you're willing to learn and work hard, you can tell your story. You can write the book you need to write. It's going to take courage. It's going to take discipline. That's true for us all.
There is no easy button, but there are others on this same path. It's important to hang out with other folks who regularly fight the same fears and doubts. (Note: I HIGHLY suggest joining a writing community. I personally love Becoming Writer so much I dedicated my newest book to it.)
You can do this, fellow writer. Take the tool I just gave you (picture it however you like—I favor a shovel, myself) and use it to beat back those doubts. Your inner critic (that jerk) is just your muse bein' freaky. And if those fears are powerful, take heart: it means you have one heck of a skill for telling a story.
Now it's time to get to work.
What are some of the doubts your muse-in-a-mask has tossed your way? Let us know in the comments.
PRACTICE
Which piece has your muse-turned-critic scared you away from doing? That's the one you need to tackle now.
Take the next fifteen minutes and work on the book or story that scares you most.
The more powerful your fears and doubts are, the more storytelling talent you have. You can do this! Share your practice in the comments below, and don't forget to leave feedback for your fellow writers.
Good article. Thank you. I believe I fight with both….!
I know I do!
I understand all the musings about the Muse, but I have a different take. The Muse indeed is imagination, but the Muse is the arrival of that moment when all the criticism and worry disappear. We are in the groove, the zone. Ideas flow onto the page faster than we can type, insight abounds, emotion crests. The glimpse of a whole story can appear in this moment. And most importantly, we feel right, inspired, at rest in the fact that for a brief moment of time we were in touch with our truth, and maybe the truth for many others as well. And it arrived without interference, almost like when meditation blocks out all the noise. For many of us, it’s rare. But when it happens, and because it happens, we feel we have been allowed into the inner circle of writing.
Wow! That is truly the way it is. Thank you for sharing that.
I love those moments of inspiration! They are definitely the best. 🙂 The challenges I see are that (1) it doesn’t show up reliably – and if we WAIT for it to show up, we simply will not write.
As Jack London said, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
And (2) the moments of crippling doubt show up with the SAME ferocity as those inspirational moments.
The “I can’t do this” and “I’m not good enough” and other fears tend to be every inch as moving and powerful and unfortunately debilitating.
Realizing that they come from the same source within us a crucial part to navigating them – to not depending entirely on the muse, and not letting the inner critic break our legs.
I can only hope what you write in this post is true.
I know it is. I’ve spent so many years dealing with it that I know that nasty inner critic intimately.
Cling to that hope and know what it is you’re seeing. It’ll give you the power to write on.
Every time I start writing I become over critical of myself. I keep starting with something I love, but people don’t like my ideas. They don’t say it’s boring, morally wrong, or not original. People just tell me my idea is weird…. I’m only 13, and although sometimes I get spouts of motivation, I can’t discipline myself enough to keep writing on one thing for a long time. I really like my idea, and working on something I don’t like or feel passionate about seems impossible. I cant really expect my first book to sell that well. My family strongly supports my book, and they’re always asking me for the next part, but I have SERIOUS procrastination issues. Me and the word “Responsible” don’t go together at all. I don’t really think I CAN become a writer if I cant be responsible, even if I love writing. My “book” is about werewolves, and for some reason as soon as I mention a female protagonist werewolf, people seem to immediately call my idea weird. I don’t have the best grammar either, but I’m always trying to get better at writing (That’s why I joined this website.) People always tell me I’m great at telling story’s. Recently, in my Theater Arts class I wrought a play for my group, and the whole class loved it. They keep talking about it and quoting lines from it. This has motivated me to get into writing a little more.
Hey George, I may not understand exactly but i get what you mean. When I was near your age, I started writing prologue like things and I’d share them with family and friends. They’re response was always a meh okay that’s alright thing. I learned to interpret hat as your idea completely sucks because my parents were passive aggressive.I loved it but the instant they didn’t act as excited as me or how I thought they might I’d loose heart in it and rip it up in most cases. I wish I still had those younger pieces.
I also have a serious procrastination problem. So if you find a way to beat it let me know! I think the important thing is to not let what other people say about it stop you. Once you get published, and it WILL happen some day if you don’t give up, you will find the people who will love your book. I’m sure if you looked at your favorite author’s reviews you’d find some pretty nasty ones and they’re published and maybe doing well or New York Times Best sellers. IT DOESN’T’ MATTER WHAT PEOPLE SAY. I say that in caps to empathize that.
I know it might not stick and you may still want to have good feedback, but some times people just hate on your work. I’m also not very responsible and I’m an adult now, 19. My parents never taught me to be responsible. I’m learning and you can do. You CAN do this if you want it. Just keep going. Some days you won’t feel like writing but you can do this.
My critic has stopped me form many worth while things as well. As to the weird thing, let me tell you a little secret. The best of us are a little weird ;). You can do this!! Keep writing!!
PREACH, Miriam! Nailed it!
Hi Anonymous George, give yourself a chance, and stop being down on yourself. You are only thirteen and already know you want to be a writer. The teenage years are for discovering where you fit into the world, so discover. Write and don’t allow anyone to take away your joy in writing. People will do that, for mean and petty reasons of their own. Take note of the play you wrote, what can you learn from that and the praise you received for it? Perhaps you can do something along those lines, tweak that into many different versions of the same theme, and see where that takes you. Writing is experimenting, not one author had their very first book accepted. They tweaked, rewrote, and made it work. You have the time, at thirteen, so if you really want it you will stop procrastinating, so read about writers, write about anything and everything. It does not have to be good, a first attempt never is perfect, just write, read, learn, do, and then write some more. Learn all you can and enjoy your writing, you can have fun with it, so write on. Tess
Great words, Tess.
Boy, do I feel that, George! (And for the record, a female protagonist werewolf happens to be one of the best-selling series out there – so the people who call it weird don’t know what they’re saying! Look up Patricia Briggs.)
It’s my experience that people always misunderstand good ideas because what YOU see is the completed, awesome book, but THEY just see the sketchy ideas. It’s like looking at a building that isn’t finished yet and only seeing scaffolding; the architect knows what the finished building will be, but people who can’t think that way only see the mess.
Hear me: DON’T GIVE UP. You can learn grammar. You can get better at whatever skill is weak. If you have the talent to tell stories (and you clearly do), then all you need to do is practice and read good books and you WILL get better.
It’s like an athlete. An athlete may have skill, but without practice, will never win a gold medal.
Or a musician. Someone may have musical talent, but unless they practice, they’ll never win an Emmy.
You can do this, George. I believe in you. Even if it takes a long time to get there, you CAN do it.
Don’t give up for anything.
If people tell you your ideas are weird, that might mean you’re onto something! Have you read Neil Gaiman’s short book, Make Good Art? It talks about carving your own creative path and taking risks, even when people around you might think what you’re doing is nuts. Whenever I think about my (unfinished) scary novel (as opposed to my very nearly finished just for fun one) – I have to remember Neil Gaiman and remember that the world might just want the weird story I have to tell. Don’t give up!
YES!
I could relate to this article. Everytime I’m writing something to published online, a large part of me is asking me “who do you think you are?”
Most of the time my doubts are so intimidating. But, after I finished writing, I felt glad I did.
Thank you for this article. It makes me feel I’m not alone.
Mikel, you are definitely not alone. Keep writing! Don’t give up!
Thank you Ruthanne. Knowing I’m not alone is enough to continue. We just keep on writing. It will be all worth it. 🙂
Thank you so much for this article. It feels comforting really, to know that experienced writers go through similar problems.
What you’ve written in this article is very educating for people of all age groups. Not only does it apply to writers but it does to everyone trying their best to achieve something in their life. I was always criticised back in my country by my own relatives and friends for dreaming big. I often used to think ‘I can’t be the only person who is right?’. The only person who supported me was my dad. As soon as I turned 18, I traveled to another country, English being my second language, it was damn difficult to get even the simplest of the tasks done. It’s been five years now and I can say with pride that I didn’t give up.
As I said, English not being my first language, I am a bit more scared and nervous to write than a native person would be. But as you mentioned, it’s “your inner critic” which means it’s up to you to decide when you stop writing (never stop though).
I’m so glad this helped, Sagar. We all go through these things – especially as creative minds. You are not alone!
Definitely don’t stop writing. Don’t listen to the naysayers. Don’t give up!
Great article! Thanks.
I’m glad it helped, Ajay!
Thanks for this detailed, encouraging post, Ruthanne.
I don’t have much difficulty finishing my story, but… the part that slows me down is revising and editing. Each time I go over the story, I am disappointed at how poor my writing is, even though grammatically correct. I mean, I’d like to put a ‘punch’ into my work.
Is this my muse chipping in or my inner critic provoking me to feel inadequate as a writer?
I completely feel that, Lilian. It happens to me, as well.
There’s actually a term for what you’re experiencing. It’s called the Creativity Gap. Here – Ira Glass talks about it beautifully:
https://youtu.be/PbC4gqZGPSY
Your good taste is why you struggle in that particular fashion. And we ALL do. It’s actually a good thing! Keep aiming for what you know is good, and your writing will improve.
I love this post! It ties into something I’m writing about how highly imaginative people are often also highly plagued with crippling anxiety. The more easily you visualise imaginary scenarios..the more easily you visualise terrible, real life ones. The cure I suggest when crippled with anxiety or writing doubt: kind of the opposite of what suggested here.
I say, write something so unthreatening that even you cannot take it too seriously. That might be fanfiction 🙂 or non fiction, or anything which you have not built up in your head as a Big Writing Deal. A throwaway piece, just for fun. Prove to yourself that you are pretty good at pulling rabbits out of hats when writing, then return to the thing that you wanted to write.
I find tossing my overactive imagination some fresh meat to chew on every now and again keep it from gnawing destructively at my main projects.
Haha! I love this idea, Sef! I think that’s a terrific way to tackle it, and a great method for making sure to enjoy your writing and NOT take yourself too seriously. 😀
Thanks for an insightful article. A supportive writing group is one of the greatest assets for a new writer. Our imagination can lead us into dead -end roads of dejection, doubts and depression. Yet we can use our muse to re-author our story. We can imagine success: getting clients, completing our books. It changes the narrative .
You’re so welcome, Verbieann! Yo’ure absolutely right. This is where the real power of “positive thinking” lies. It’s not a magic trick. It’s empowerment to keep going through the hard times.
Every time I write I start to feel like, “why am I doing nobody is going to read this “. “Am I just wasting my time and energy “?
Thank you for following me. I am flattered. I want you to know that it is time to stop thinking that no one would want to read what you have to say. It is not true. You get on out there and start writing. I did the same thing for years. I finally did it! And, now I published about 16 children’s books. One in suspense. So, you just have to be positive, and, start. Read your work to your husband and children. They will like listening to wife and Mom read what she wrote.
What great encouragement! And how awesome about all those books! Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
Awww, thanks. I do what I can. I am just a homemaker, and, a writer.
🙂 So am I.
I know those fears and questions, Courtnie. We all ask ourselves those things. Here’s what it comes down to: would you want to read what you’re writing? Then someone else will, too. You can be certain of that.
This is such a great article! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and vulnerabilities with the community. It helped me realize what is going on in my own head. I’ve recently started writing, at 30. I’ve always had a very vivid imagination and would get lost in “what if” stories in my head. I love reading sci-fi/fantasy novels and escape to the worlds that those writers can create. I want to be able to create those worlds as well. I started writing down one of the stories that came into my head, it has to do with zombies, and I got amazing feedback from family and friends (the honest ones). This inspired me to try writing more, but then I got to the point where I started to realize that I didn’t know what I was doing and my muse started to get very vocal. Why am I starting this now? I don’t know how to formulate a story. I don’t know how to write dialogue very well. What if I get stuck in the middle and lose motivation? Will anyone even read it? I’m not great at grammar, etc…
I have started to take steps to combat some of these. Like you said, skills can be learned. I have recently started a Creative Writing course so I could learn about the basics and hopefully help my confidence. Thank you for the realization that our muse and critic are the same voice, I will continue to fight through and keep writing.
You’re SO welcome, Mandy! I’m really glad this helped you out; I know the realization really freed me, and so I had to share.
It’s totally okay to not know what you’re doing. EVERY art starts out like that, from music to painting to cooking.
It sounds to me like you’re doing the right thing and going in the right directions. Don’t give up! If you keep going, you absolutely will become the writer you want to be.
I really loved reading this, it was really encouraging. Since I am 14 and Christian, writing a fantasy book that I hope will become a series, I feel like I cannot share my writing with my parents. My main characters have troubled past, one was raped, another was abused, and I know my parents do not like this type of writing. I share with my parents only the Christian things I write bible study, and inspiration short stories, and am praised greatly for those. When I try to talk or share my fantasy writing with them I leave discouraged. And that is part of the reason for my hesitancy in wiring this book. Though publishing books is my dream in life, I’m scared that when I’m done with the manuscript they will read it and hate it. And although I do have a ton of support from my friends, a parents approval means a lot.
Hi Paige,
It’s very possible too that your parents don’t “like” that type of writing because they’re simply your parents and only want the best for you (speaking from my own experience with my own parents!). What I mean by this is many parents try to shield their children from the ugly realities of the world. This is of course impossible, but it may hurt them emotionally when you share your interest in telling dark stories because they may feel they haven’t been doing enough to shield you. Whatever they say to you has nothing to do with you as a person or a writer – they’re simply reacting based on their own back history. And who knows? Both of them most likely know people who were abused and raped in their own lives, so your stories bring up painful memories for them and they react by discouraging you simply to protect themselves.
I absolutely encourage you to keep writing. Keep telling the dark stories because those create balance in the world. Positive and negative. We need both to tell our fully human story. I wouldn’t mind being a reader of your work from an outside perspective if you’re interested!