Business Writing Alternatives to Strangling the Critic Inside

by | Jul 11, 2011

You’re writing a business post or communication when you start hearing voices.

  • Okay, maybe one voice
  • And it sounds an awful lot like your own
It’s that nasty little critic that lurks inside all of us.
  • Typo alert – red, squiggly lines, warning, warning
  • Rambling – yo, take a breath, dude
  • Prove it – details, where’s the proof?
  • Boring – I’m snoozing here

And we wonder why some people hate business writing.

Wanted Poster

The critic inside is a sneaky, little devil.

It uses your voice to tap into every criticism ever heaped on you.

  • You can’t spell
  • You’re boring
  • You can’t write

While strangling the little bugger might be considered justifiable homicide, you probably don’t want to do that.

Just shut the critic up.

Silence is Golden

Let’s face it, the critic is just an insecure loud-mouth.

  • That doesn’t mean it has nothing worthwhile to say
  • Once you get by the noise, there are some good ideas there

Sound like anyone you know?

So, instead of strangling the critic, let’s just temporarily silence it.

#1 – Use the Hose

Have you used the trick of turning a hose on two fighting entities (human or otherwise) to break up the fight? No? Maybe you didn’t have four brothers.

You could use this technique for your writing.

  • Start writing
  • Crank up the flow
  • When the critic pops in
  • Blast it with a flow of more words
  • It drowns out the noise

It is perfectly acceptable to feel a small sense of delight.

#2 – Use the X Factor

When the words are flowing and you suddenly hit a boulder in the stream, use the X factor to navigate around it.

What is the X factor?

  • When you don’t know a name – type an X
  • When you don’t have a fact – type an X
  • When you know it needs more – type an X
If you need reinforcement, make it a double of triple-X. Whatever floats your boat.
  • Just use the same X factor (single, double or triple)
  • Go back during the editing phase
  • Control + F (or Command + F on MAC) = X Factor to find your X protectors

#3 – Turn Off the Lights

This one is a favorite technique offered by Anne Wayman of About Freelance Writing.

  • Open your Word (or other) document
  • Create your Heading
  • Add a few spaces
  • Then turn off your monitor

Ack – who turned out the lights?

Take that critic. You can type away and the critic is left in the dark.

Welcome Home

After you finish your business writing, welcome the critic home.

  • Let the critic loose
  • Let it slash, cut, and eliminate
  • Let it pounce on the weak

The more you show the critic who is in control, a funny thing happens.

The critic becomes your friend.

And who doesn’t like a softer, gentler critic?

How do you take control?

BigStock Photo Credit

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14 Comments

  1. Ryan Biddulph

    Hi Cathy,

    Creative methods to kill the inner critic.

    I usually do a 1 shot deal. I write a quick post, do a swift edit, and publish it before my inner critic starts yapping.

    Writing a quick, from the heart post and publishing immediately helps keep the destructive voices at bay. It’s only when I start “thinking about things”, that the voice gets louder and louder, and I start second guessing myself, and I start editing more, and I wonder, “what was I thinking”, and……wait a second there is goes again 😉

    Thanks for sharing the clever techniques to shut that silly lil’ voice up, Cathy.

    Ryan

    Reply
  2. Cathy

    Ryan: You are so right. Another key is to know when to stop that critic in the editing process. It does love yapping. 😀

    Thanks for stopping by and the RT, Ryan!

    Reply
  3. Megan Collins Quinlan

    Just one word of warning – don’t send out your work with loads of “x’s” all over the place. Every now and then I come across something which has managed to make it onto a news site or a website with ?’s everywhere. you know they just wanted the time to check their facts, but the time would have been better served proofreading!

    great site. I have just stumbled across it. As a freelance writer, with the hope of getting more big business clients your site should provide me with plenty of good advice!

    Reply
  4. Tea Silvestre

    Good advice, Cathy! I’m a writer so I’m probably more aware than most folks about the need to ignore the critic. But hadn’t ever tried these tips before. I usually just write the first draft knowing that it’s going to have to be reworked and try not to do ANY editing the first round.

    Reply
  5. Cathy

    Megan-You are soooo right. Editing is a whole focus on its own…hmm…another post idea – thanks! 🙂

    Thanks for the kudos, Megan. I appreciate it. If there is a topic that you’d like to see here, just let me know. As you noted, my focus here is on business writing. I highly recommend the sites under For Freelance Writers for the business side of what we do.

    Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll keep us posted on how your prospecting goes.

    Reply
  6. Karla Campos

    Hi Cathy, the critic is a big loud bully lol what I do is just write and tell the critic that he/she will have their turn when I am done (they are somewhat useful at editing time).

    Reply
  7. Cathy

    Tea-thanks for the kind words. Keeping my self-editing at bay has been a challenge. I’m getting better at it and I am always open to new ideas.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Tea.

    Reply
  8. Cathy

    Karla-LOL! 😀 I love that-show that critic who’s boss! And you are right, it can be very helpful for editing.

    Thanks for sharing your strategy, Karla. 😉

    Reply
  9. Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

    Lovely post. Actually- a triple XXX is the way to go. Dependent upon your vocabulary, you can’t search for an X (in your word processor) and find where you left off in editing (one of the reasons I employ the code) or were unsure of your facts.
    The XXX works like a charm!

    Reply
  10. Cathy

    Thanks, Roy-I use the same method-another fine eXample of great minds. 🙂

    Reply
  11. Roz K Walker

    Cathy, I so use the X-factor! Well, it’s actually several dots that I highlight, but it works the same. It’s what keeps me in my flow. When I write, my goal is to just get it all on paper and then review (not critique) it afterwards. When I handle it this way, I don’t notice if I have a little critic or not.

    I like the ideas you’ve listed. Thanks for sharing them.

    Roz

    Reply
  12. Cathy

    Love it, Roz! If your dots and my x’s get together we can hammer out some Morse code. 😀

    I appreciate you stopping by, Roz, and sharing your method.

    Reply
  13. Anne Wayman

    Thanks for the link Cathy… another thing I do is talk to that critic – pound on the mental table if necessary. I thank it, assure it I’ll use it’s input later and ask it if it would please leave me alone until then… that works for me even tho’ it has some people wondering ’bout my mental state 😉

    Reply
  14. Cathy

    My pleasure, Anne. I don’t wonder about your mental state at all-sounds normal to me. 🙂

    Thanks for sharing your method, Anne. 😀

    Reply

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