It’s easy to be hard on yourself when you’re a writer. But does beating yourself up really help? For 99.9% of us, the answer is no.
How do you learn to go easier on yourself? The Rejectionist is here to help:
So imagine you have a new puppy, and your new puppy does the things that new puppies do, which are: pee on the floor, eat your favorite shoes, poop in your laundry hamper, chew on your plants, chase the cat. Right? Bad things. Now, how do you deal effectively with the misbehaviors of the new puppy, which does not know any better, and is only doing the things that puppies have done since the dawn of puppy-time, when new puppies chewed up their cave-person’s best bow and arrow or whatever? Do you shout BAD DOG BAD DOG BAD DOG at the new puppy over and over again? Do you kick the puppy? Smack the puppy on its little puppy-nose with a rolled-up newspaper? No! Because YOU, Author-friend, are not an asshole, or else you would not be our Author-friend! You speak GENTLY BUT FIRMLY to the puppy. You work with the puppy where the puppy is at. You reward appropriate puppy behaviors with treats and happy noises! You pet the puppy! You explain the rules to the puppy in a clear and intelligible fashion!
Do you see where she’s going here? Head on over to the full post at The Rejectionist for a helpful list of “brain management routines” to help you train your puppy-brain into better behavior. Do it because it’s Friday. Do it because you, like all writers, deserve a little self-forgiveness.
