Your Book: Censored

One book that will never be read is the one you didn’t write. What stopped you? While you could point a finger at timing, finances, or unexpected events blocking your path, many times the answer can be found by looking in the mirror. It’s you! This might be hard to admit until you realize the answer to completing your goal is also – you.

Negative self-talk – the condemning voice within that edits and censors your thoughts and actions – can be more limiting than forces beyond your control. As much as you would like to start your book, beginning that first chapter can feel petrifying. You stop before you start. When a library censors a book, there is an outcry. Where is the outcry when you censor yourself from going after your dream of writing your book?

As a writer, you put your heart into your words, and the personal nature of those words can leave you feeling vulnerable. Rejection, typically from someone you’ve never met, may crash down – or not. A reader may not like what you’ve written, but it is not a rejection of you. In fact, you may not like what you’ve written. That’s why you edit your work, or start over, or pull it out of the trash and write more. You can practice your craft until you like your work better. You can take classes, hire an editor, or join a support group. There are plenty of resources, but none of them can tap away on the keyboard for you.

Ask yourself if you are blocking your efforts as a way to protect yourself from internal or external messages. Negative self-talk is a good indicator. Be honest. What self-limiting messages do you tell yourself? Surely you wouldn’t like it if someone else said those same words to you. Try giving yourself positive self-talk instead. At first, it may seem embarrassing, even though no one else is listening. No else has to listen, only you. Tell yourself writing gives you a creative outlet, as opposed to defining your self-worth. When you believe it, you will act on it.

Your passion to write motivates you. To create, you must break through the bonds of self-censorship, self-judgment, and the opinions of others, or you will end up with nothing but frustration. When you censor yourself, you remove the opportunity to see what might come out. Give yourself permission to enjoy the process and chances are the outcome will appeal – not to everybody, but perhaps to you, and that is a good beginning to a book.