Writing Excuses 8.42: The Internal Heckler vs. The Internal Editor

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Writing Excuses 8.42: The Internal Heckler vs. The Internal Editor

From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2013/10/20/writing-excuses-8-42-the-internal-heckler-vs-the-internal-editor/

Key Points: Recognize the difference between the internal heckler (This is bad!) and the internal editor (You can make this better). Don't forget the internal cheerleader! When something goes wrong, see if you can figure out how to improve it. Asking "Why?" often helps identify how to improve it. To get from "something's wrong" to "here's how to fix it," takes practice. Learn to identify the problem, understand what needs fixing, and how to fix it. Symptoms, diagnoses, and prescriptions! In many cases, keep writing. Control your internal editor, don't just turn it off. To quiet the heckler, look at what you've already done, remind yourself of why you are excited about this, and go on. Get a cheerleader! 
( Into the world of the ego, id, and superego... )

[No writing prompt? Luckily, Howard included one on the website. While it was not actually part of the podcast, I'm including it here for anyone who is interested:

Writing Prompt: Oh no! we forgot to give you a writing prompt! Fine… Your internal heckler turns out to be a real person/entity/being/whatever. Not everybody’s internal heckler — YOURS. Why?

Now you really are out of excuses, go write.]