Writer’s Block and the Inner Censor

Last episode, we talked about the two different forms of writer's block. The first kind is the obvious kind of writer’s block– you're just not writing. And this is actually the easier form of writer's block to solve.  The second, much more insidious, form of writer's block exists where you might be writing a lot, but your writing is flat.  We also talked about the confidence game of writing, about doubt, and how to overcome doubt.  This episode we’re going to be talking about how to deal with another key component of writer’s block and procrastination: The Inner Censor. As we discussed last episode, screenwriters have three different gods that we’re always serving on every project.First, there’s the Project god, which we actually want to serve.  But there are two other gods we also try to serve, which actually just get in the way.  The Commercial/Career god, “Can I sell that?”-- which gets in the way of us having the curiosity to explore with our authentic voice.  And the Identity god. “Am I an artist? Am I a good artist? Am I deserving of being an artist?” Asking these kinds of questions only serves to undermine our creativity. If you’ve listened to my podcast on The Two Kinds of Writers Block, at this point, you have a pretty strong foundation in what causes writer's block. But there's another element that we still need to talk about to really understand how writer's block works and how to overcome it. We need to talk about the Inner Censor, how it works, how it gets developed, and how you can start to break past it to build the life of a writer that you really want, put your authentic voice on the page, navigate the challenges that press down on our voice, and keep writing even through times when you literally don't have a single idea in your mind.  We're going to talk about how to deal with all of that and how all of that is related to the Inner Censor. And I'm going to give you some really great tools for getting past it. When you were a child, you did not have writer’s block. You did not have an Inner Censor. You did not know that the Inner Censor existed. Children just say whatever they feel.  “How does Mommy look in this dress?” “Oh, you look fat, Mommy.”  They don't think about whether it’s reasonable.  “I want to go to the soccer game. I don't want to ride in the car!”  It doesn't matter that riding in the car is the only way to get to the soccer game. Children literally just express whatever they feel. For a child, there is no Inner Censor. If you ask a child to become a dog, the child will become a dog. They won't ask, “Is it a St. Bernard or a German Shepherd?”  They will become a dog. And they will do things that dogs do, and things that dogs do not do. And it will be fascinating to watch them. They will not be blocked for one second. Children do not have Inner Censors. Children are in touch with their authentic voice. It's the only thing they know.  Developmentally, young children are actually not able to recognize that they are not the only thing in the universe. Early in life, they believe the world revolves around them.