The enemy within
All writers have voices in their heads.
The ringing tones of heroes and heroines. The dastardly hiss of villains. The droll asides of sidekicks, and the ever-hopeful clamor of extras auditioning for the support cast and the chance to play even a minor role in a story.
These are the voices that shape our stories, calling to us from our dreamscapes, invading our waking hours, and refusing to be silenced until we bend to their will and commit their story to the page.
These are the voices that we writers should listen to.
Instead our ears prick up at the insidious purr of the nay-sayer. The enemy within. The dreadfully plausible, insinuating voice that stalks our writing hours. filling our heads with thoughts that poison the creative well.
This is the voice of the inner critic. The voice that tells us we're not good enough, not smart enough, not imaginative enough.
The voice that stops we writers from writing, or condemns us to Groundhog Day, endlessly rewriting the same passage, seeking perfection. Meanwhile the voices we should listen to grow fainter and eventually disappear altogether, taking their unwritten stories with them.
There is only one way to deal with the inner critic. Gag him during the first draft. Stuff a sock in her gob. Gaffer tape the creep and shove him in the deepest darkest recess of your mind. Lock and bolt the door, ignore her screams, and write away.
If you fear that inspiration won't come, go to your writing spot, take a word for a walk and follow where it leads.
Inspiration comes after you start writing. Or at least, that's what the voices in my head keep telling me. 
"You must learn to overcome your very natural and appropriate revulsion for your own work" William Gibson.
Discuss.
'
