Ep. #575: The Writer's Inner Critic: 10 Ways to Tell if Yours Is Healthy

FromHelping Writers Become Authors

Start listening View podcast show

Ep. #575: The Writer's Inner Critic: 10 Ways to Tell if Yours Is Healthy

FromHelping Writers Become Authors

ratings:

Length:

19 minutes

Released:

Jan 24, 2022

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Learn how to increase the health and effectiveness of the writer's inner critic while diminishing toxic effects.

Released:

Jan 24, 2022

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Helping Writers Become Authors provides writers help in summoning inspiration, crafting solid characters, outlining and structuring novels, and polishing prose. Learn how to write a book and edit it into a story agents will buy and readers will love. (Music intro by Kevin MacLeod.)

Skip carousel

5 Ways to Pace Your Story: Pacing is like a dam. It allows the writer to control just how fast or how slow his plot flows through the riverbed of his story. Understanding how to operate that dam is one of the most important tasks an author has to learn. by Helping Writers Become Authors
7 min listen
6 Reasons Not to Listen to Your Critique Partner: How do you know when to heed criticism? How do you know what's worth listening to? You can start by asking yourself the following six questions. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Should You Outline Backwards?: Often, it's easier and more productive to start with the last scene in a series and work your way backwards. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Should You Edit As You Go?: Like so much of the writing life, the answer to this little conundrum is largely bound up in each writer's personality and preferred working methods. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
Don't Let the Big Words Die: How authors can encourage the growth of vocabulary and use it to enhance their writing. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
It's What Your Characters Do That Defines Them: Characters need to do something to prove themselves worth defining. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
Eliciting Emotion: Discovering what drives emotion in fiction and how to elicit it in readers. by Helping Writers Become Authors
7 min listen
Details: Bringing Fiction to Life: Learn why the details of an author's prose decide whether a story will be the entertainment of an hour or a lasting piece of literature. by Helping Writers Become Authors
7 min listen
Why You Should Be Writing Scared: A little dryness of mouth, a little dampness of face, a little quiver in the abdominal region - these are the symptoms of sheer, unadulterated panic. These are the symptoms of a good writer. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Making Cliches Work for You: Cliches need not be dreaded bogeymen who haunt our work, but rather exciting and multi-faceted challenges that we can make work for us in many ways. by Helping Writers Become Authors
7 min listen
Angst, Mental Illness, and Creativity by Carolyn Kaufman: Is angst a necessary ingredient for creativity? by Helping Writers Become Authors
9 min listen
Why No Writer Knows What He's Doing: The truth is I really have no idea what I'm doing. In fact, no author does. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Characters: Likability Is Overrated: Learn why readers connection with imperfection in characters, more than perfection. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Branded: Negotiating Consumerism in Fiction: Two reasons to avoid specifying common and popular consumer names in your fiction. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
Should You Write for a Specific Audience?: Writing for an audience, instead of merely to an audience means you're molding your artistic vision to please the whims of the public. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
How to Kill a Character - And Avoid Hate Mail: When your story demands you kill a prominent character, how do you tap into the power and pathos without infuriating your readers? by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
Backstory: The Importance of What Isn't Told: Particularly during this modern trend of beginning stories in medias res (in the middle of things), a deep and full-bodied backstory is every whit as important as the story itself. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
Sticking With a Story: If you are willing to stick with a story and resist the urge to let go when the going gets tough, you are likely to discover one of the most important traits of any artist: perseverance. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
11 Dichotomous Characters - And Why They Work: Take a look at the following list of classic characters and the dichotomies that made them so memorable. by Helping Writers Become Authors
7 min listen
Strengthen Your Story by Writing the Perfect Review: Here's a little trick to help narrow the gap between your idealization of your story and its printed reality: Write yourself the perfect review. by Helping Writers Become Authors
4 min listen
How You Can Take Advantage of Art's Subjectivity: For better or worse, art (like life) is subjective. Not one of us looks at a story, a painting, a movie, or a concert in the same way. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
yWriter Software Tutorial: Tutorial for yWriter, the quintessential organizer for writers. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Why Word Count Goals Can Be Destructive: For some writers, word counts can prove more problematic than they're worth. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
9 Ways to Strengthen Your Beginnings: Nine traits of a good beginning. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
Choosing Your Character's Career With Care: What your character does for a living, even if it doesn't feature prominently in your story, will profoundly affect who he is and how he responds to the world around him. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Emotional Connection: Punch Your Readers in the Gut!: So how do you go about creating emotionally resonant stories? It's simple: You create stories with which you resonate. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Why Genre Writing Could Kill Your Career: Genres too often lead to cliched storylines, sub-par writing, and, in the long run, a less discerning and demanding reading public. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
Why You Should Write More Than One Genre: The better the artist, the more varied his work. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Top 7 Reasons Readers Stop Reading: This week, I decided to take a highly unscientific poll in an effort to discover the most common reasons a reader stops reading. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
10 Habits of Successful Authors: If, by the end of the year, you can cross the following habits of successful authors off your checklist, you'll be a force to reckon with in the literary world! by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen

More Episodes from Helping Writers Become Authors

Skip carousel

Ep. 595: Clearing Up Some Misconceptions About In Medias Res: Is opening your story in medias res compatible with the Three-Act Structure? The secret is in understanding how the First Act functions. by Helping Writers Become Authors
17 min listen
Ep. 594: 8 Ways to Avoid Cardboard Characters (and Plot Contrivances While You're At It): If your story suffers from cardboard characters, it probably also suffers from plot contrivances. Good news: if you fix one, you fix both. by Helping Writers Become Authors
18 min listen
Ep. 593: Understanding the New Normal World of a Story's Resolution: In many ways, the New Normal World of a story's Resolution is what successfully completes the context of the entire story. by Helping Writers Become Authors
16 min listen
Ep. 592: Understanding the Underworld of a Story's Third Act: The Underworld of a Story's Third Act is symbolically important for creating powerful and realistic change with your characters and plot. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 591: Understanding the Adventure World of a Story's Second Act: Writers can use the metaphoric Adventure World of a story's Second Act to better understand this crucial part of story structure. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 590: Understanding the Normal World of a Story's First Act: Authors need to understand the four "worlds" represented within a story's structure, the first of which is the Normal World of the First Act. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 589: Deepening Your Story's Theme With the Thematic Square: If you want to deepen the complexity of your story's theme, one tool you can employ is Robert McKee's thematic square. by Helping Writers Become Authors
18 min listen
Ep. 588: 6 Ways to Find Your Best Ideas Before You Start Writing: Use these six ways to find your best ideas for writing your book, as you cultivate, channel, and honor your deeper inspiration. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 587: The Role of the Antagonist in Story Structure, Pt. 2 of 2: Examines the role of the antagonist in the second half of a story's structure--the Second Pinch Point through the Resolution. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 586: The Role of the Antagonist in Story Structure, Pt. 1 of 2: The major plot beats in a story are interwoven with the protagonist's journey. But what is the role of the antagonist in story structure? by Helping Writers Become Authors
22 min listen
Ep. 585: Do You Have to Write Every Day? 10 Pros and Cons: Should writers make it a habit to write every day? Here are five pros of writing every day, as well as five potential cons. by Helping Writers Become Authors
19 min listen
Ep. 584: The 6 Challenges of Writing a Second Novel: Writing a second novel can often be surprisingly harder than the first one. Check out six challenges sophomore writers often face. by Helping Writers Become Authors
19 min listen
Ep. 583: 14 Tips for Dealing With the Passage of Time in a Story: Ask these important questions to make sure the passage of time in a story is strengthening rather than weakening its narrative power. by Helping Writers Become Authors
20 min listen
Ep. 582: 6 Ways to Craft Spectacular Set-Piece Scenes: Here are six important considerations to keep in mind when amping up your story's most important scenes--its set-piece scenes. by Helping Writers Become Authors
14 min listen
Ep. 581: How to Know When You're a Successful Author?: The question of "how to know when you're a successful author?" offers some obvious answers--and yet the subject is far more complex. by Helping Writers Become Authors
16 min listen
Ep. 580: Should You Take a Break From Writing? 5 Red Flags: When should you take a break from writing? And once you've taken that step, what in heaven's name are you going to do with yourself? by Helping Writers Become Authors
21 min listen
Ep. 579: 9 Ways to Approach Relationship Dynamics in Fiction: Creating an amazing supporting cast that can offer important relationship dynamics in fiction will also help develop your protagonist. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Episode #578: Archetypes and Story Structure: How They're Connected: Learn how archetypes and story structure mirror each other in any individual book and can be used to further strengthen your story. by Helping Writers Become Authors
25 min listen
Ep. 577: Making Story Structure Your Own: Here are a five important questions you, as a writer of fiction, can ask yourself to help you in making story structure your own. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 576: Conflict in Fiction: What It Really Is and Why It's Important to Plot: There’s nothing incorrect in using confrontation to create conflict in fiction. But to understand conflict as only confrontation is too narrow a definition. by Helping Writers Become Authors
12 min listen
Ep. 574: A Writer's New Year Reflections: The 6 Gifts I Gave Myself in 2021: Here are this writer's New Year reflections, focusing on six "gifts" I gave myself and why I believe they were profoundly life-changing. by Helping Writers Become Authors
19 min listen
Ep. 573: The Two Halves of the Climactic Moment: The two halves of the Climactic Moment require the story's final sequence to offer two very specific beats: Sacrifice and Victory/Failure. by Helping Writers Become Authors
16 min listen
Ep. 572: The Two Halves of the Third Plot Point: The two halves of the Third Plot Point work together to create a scene arc that moves from the False Victory to the Low Moment. by Helping Writers Become Authors
16 min listen
Ep. 571: The Two Halves of the Midpoint: The halves of the Midpoint are unique in story structure in that they mark the dividing line between the two halves of the entire story arc. by Helping Writers Become Authors
16 min listen
Ep. 570: The Two Halves of the First Plot Point: The First Plot Point is often referred to as a threshold, a visual metaphor representing the native two-sidedness of all structural beats. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 569: The Two Halves of the Inciting Event: A series examining the two important "halves" in each of story structure's major beats, beginning with the Inciting Event in the First Act. by Helping Writers Become Authors
18 min listen
Ep. #568: 6 Questions to Help You Avoid Repetitive Scenes: Find out what defines repetitive scenes, as well as strategies for recognizing and avoiding them in your fiction. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 567: Archetypal Antagonists for the Mage Arc: Evil and the Weakness of Humankind: The archetypal antagonists for the Mage Arc often manifest subtly--not in obvious "evil," but in an ordinary person's weakness. by Helping Writers Become Authors
16 min listen
Ep. 566: Archetypal Antagonists for the Crone Arc: Death Blight and Tempter: The archetypal antagonists for the Crone Arc are represented as a Death Blight and as the subtle Tempter who would lure her from the Truth. by Helping Writers Become Authors
14 min listen
Ep. 565: Archetypal Antagonists for the King Arc: Cataclysm and Rebel: The archetypal antagonists for the King Arc are the Cataclysm and the Rebel, both of which challenge the King to culminate his rule. by Helping Writers Become Authors
18 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

Ep. 557: Should You Edit As You Go?: Should you edit as you go? The best choice has much to do with a writer's personality, strengths, weaknesses, and even lifestyle demands. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
1270: Destructive Family Legacies: Understanding the Root of Self-Worth Issues by Dr. Susan Chanderbahn of ChandPsych: Dr. Susan Chanderbahn of ChandPsych helps you understand the root of destructive family legacies and self-worth issues by Optimal Relationships Daily - Dating, Marriage & Parenting
10 min listen
Episode 46: Understanding Natural Light: General Rules: with Leslie Halleck by Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care
58 min listen
079-Foodscaping: How to Create an Edible Landscape, With Brie Arthur: Have you ever thought about how to grow food without a garden? I’m not talking about tearing out those flowers and shrubs to convert the bed to a vegetable garden. I’m talking about incorporating vegetables in with those aesthetic plants to create an e... by The joe gardener Show - Organic Gardening - Vegetable Gardening - Expert Garden Advice From Joe Lamp'l
55 min listen
#214: Redefining MENTAL HEALTH as the BRAIN METABOLIC DISORDER by Health Via Modern Nutrition with Dr. Latt Mansor
78 min listen
Talking Permaculture and Retrosuburbia | David Holmgren: Episode 128 by Rune Soup
81 min listen
Psychiatry | Dissociative Disorders by The Medbullets Step 1 Podcast
8 min listen
Secret Garden With Marta McDowell-A Way to Garden With Margaret Roach November 22, 2021: Author Marta McDowell, a gardener and landscape designer in contemporary New Jersey, has an enduring passion for digging into history, particularly into noted authors and their gardens—what she calls the “connection between the pen and the trowel.” Shes by MARGARET ROACH A WAY TO GARDEN
26 min listen
Plant Intelligence | Monica Gagliano, PhD ~ ATTMind 153: Dr. Monica Gagliano takes us on a deep dive into the results of her scientific research into plant intelligence. But she also shares the profound impact of her personal encounters with the living intelligence of the natural world, and what those... by Adventures Through The Mind
122 min listen
After Hours: Lucid Dreams and Dream Engineering by Full Measure After Hours
27 min listen
Brain Energy: Keto For Metabolic & Mental Health with Dr. Chris Palmer: Part 2: Hi friends! Today's episode is Part 2 of 2 with Dr. Chris Palmer. A Harvard psychiatrist conducting neuroscience for 25 years, Dr. Palmer outlines a revolutionary new understanding that for the first time unites our existing knowledge about mental... by Optimal Protein Podcast (Fast Keto) with Vanessa Spina
64 min listen
The lab leak theory: The idea that Covid-19 emerged from a Chinese lab once sounded too fringe to take seriously. That’s starting to change. by Today, Explained
27 min listen
535: John Moody on Weed Suppression.: Controlling unwanted volunteers in our farms and gardens. by The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson
41 min listen
The Rise of the Mushroom - A Look at the Future of the "Artificial" Intelligence of Fungi - Exploring Fungi's Roles in Pollution Remediation, Medicine, and Soils with Peter McCoy (PVP132): Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/132 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support It's fungal intelligence that I will be exploring today with the brilliant Peter McCoy. Peter is self-taught mycologist with 15 years of accumulated study and... by Farm Small Farm Smart Daily
105 min listen
Permaculture for Landscape Professionals by Permaculture for the Future
96 min listen
#310 - Adam Lane Smith - 15 Harsh Psychology Truths: Adam Lane Smith is a psychotherapist an author. Humans are not transparent to ourselves. We are complex creatures who operate on ancient programming. Having spent years and years as a practicing psychotherapist for men, women and couples, Adam has... by Modern Wisdom
91 min listen
Talking Pagan Beingness | Rhyd Wildermuth: Episode 267 by Rune Soup
121 min listen
Harry Brighouse on the Costs of Raising a Child: In this podcast, University of Wisconsin–Madison philosophy professor Harry Brighouse discusses how to think about the costs of raising a child beyond traditional measures, illustrating what philosophers can do for social scientists who... by Poverty Research & Policy
16 min listen
How to Grow Food YEAR ROUND Using Covers (Both Hot & Cold Weather) with Nikki Jabour: We’re talking about how to grow food year-round using covers. Most often, people think of growing under cover for colder climates, but this method actually works for helping grow your garden in the heat of summer, too. Niki Jabbour, author of Year... by Pioneering Today
48 min listen
Loving Through The Darkness with Vylana Marcus & Caitlyn Howe #335 by Aubrey Marcus Podcast
125 min listen
Hermeticism with Erik & Sam Part I: One word which gets used everywhere and almost as a substitute for Esoteric Thought and Philosophy- is Hermeticism. But what exactly is it and how did it come about? Is it a religion? A Philosophy? What was it all about? Our understanding of... by What Magic Is This?
107 min listen
Rationally Speaking #51 - Joseph Heath on Economics Without Illusions: Guest Joseph Heath discusses his book "Economics Without Illusions: Debunking the Myths of Modern Capitalism." Plus Joseph's pick: "The Socialist System: The Political Economy of Communism." by Rationally Speaking Podcast
47 min listen
#7-Tad Hargrave: Marketing For Hippies by Building Your Permaculture Property
79 min listen
Future of Agriculture 107: Organic Agriculture at Scale with John McKeon of Tanimura and Antle: John McKeon is the Senior Manager of Organic Compliance, Commission, and Consolidation at Tanimura and Antle. Founded in 1982, Tanimura and Antle is a farm company that grows and sells both conventional and organic produce. John has almost two decades... by Future of Agriculture
34 min listen
PT299 – Ed Prideaux – HPPD (Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder): A Synopsis: In this episode of the podcast, Joe interviews Ed Prideaux: UK-based journalist working to raise awareness around Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) in affiliation with the Perception Restoration Foundation. www.psychedelicstoday.com by Psychedelics Today
75 min listen
Jussi Valtonen - How to Know What We Don’t Know: Mad in America: Rethinking Mental Health by Mad in America: Rethinking Mental Health
38 min listen
'Food Not Lawns' Seed Exchange at the Center for Urban Agriculture: Food Not Lawns Seed Exchange by Sustainable World Radio- Ecology and Permaculture Podcast
24 min listen
516: David Holmgren on Downshifting to a Resilient Future. Part 1: Balancing the larger world context with local, practical, and creative solutions. by The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson
25 min listen
The mind of the multiverse with Dr. Richard Alan Miller by The Cosmic Salon
58 min listen
606: Crystal Stevens on Regenerative Urban Farming: Bringing Gardening Methods Full Circle by The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson
45 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Ep. #575: The Writer's Inner Critic: 10 Ways to Tell if Yours Is Healthy

Ep. #575: The Writer's Inner Critic: 10 Ways to Tell if Yours Is Healthy

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Helping Writers Become Authors

Related podcast episodes