Silencing The Internal Editor

The Internal Editor is that inner voice that accompanies us all day, scolding, criticizing, but rarely praising us. It constantly tells us that what we are writing is not up to par and that there is another way of saying the same thing. Like all critics, its forte is criticism, not constructive advice. As writers, we need to be able to drown out our inner voice sometimes, so that our creative juices could flow uninterrupted. There are several methods we can use to quiet our inner voice for a while. Even though some may not work for you, there are others that could be of use.

1. Write Fast

This is probably one of the best ways to lower your internal voice, and it is the one I use. You need to write by hand for this technique to be effective, because typing could introduce an additional source of distraction. Instead of carefully formulating what you wish to say and how you are going to say it, you should just write the words down as fast as they come to you. The idea is to convert the image in your mind into words and on paper as quickly as you can. These words may not be the best but they can be improved and corrected later on in draft number two or three. Maupassant's advice to get in black and white as soon as possible comes to mind. From out of the jumble of ill-formed phrases you can later extract a better image. One of the prerequisites for writing fast is that you should be completely familiar with your theme. You should have read your research notes and made a complete outline beforehand so that you would not be forced to stop and think of plot lines as you write.

2. Write Slowly

Technique Number Two for silencing your Internal Editor is just the opposite of number one. Instead of writing as fast as you can, you should write as slowly as you can, tracing each letter carefully as you form each word. In this way, the Internal Editor becomes too busy with the letters of each word and does not have time to comment on your performance.

3. Write To Loud Music

Another way of drowning out the voice of the Internal Editor is by writing to loud music. Though this may sound contrary to what a creative worker should do, it is based on the principle that our inner voice will listen to the music and will become distracted. This is why instrumental music is preferred, with no lyrics that can catch the Editor's attention. Stephen King once mentioned that he wrote to loud instrumental rock music and, judging by his production, we can only assume that it works for him.

Silencing the Internal Editor is one of the main preoccupations of any writer who wants to give full rein to his creativity. When the inner voice is silenced, the writer can find his voice and begin to write as only he can.