V is for Vultures

Let's talk vultures, shoulder vultures that is.  You know, those critters that sit on your shoulder while you're writing and whisper just how horrid every word that goes on the page is.  How that no one would ever want to read anything you could write and why even try, cause no one in their right mind would ever pay to publish your writing. 

We all have 'em.  And sometimes they come in the form of family and friends.  Often they come in the form of ourselves though. 

For example, how many people have you told you're a writer?  When someone asks what you do, do you tell them you write?  It took me a long time before I had the nerve to let the "world" know I was a writer.  Naturally, the next question is "what have you had published" or some form of that.  And it's hard to consider yourself a writer when the answer is nothing.  But the thing is, if you are writing, you are a writer.  Even if you don't have anything published.

The thing about shoulder vultures is, you don't have to listen to 'em.  You can ignore them.  They don't have to steal your joy in writing.  So, next time you hear those whispers, make the conscious effort to ignore them. Tell them they aren't welcome. The more you ignore them, the less they'll hang around.  Oh, they'll come back ever so often to see if you really mean it or not but you can win the battle.

Mine like to sit in the yard and laugh when I get a Negative Marketing Report. They've learned not to come inside. I just ignore 'em and send my work back out.