Remove Your Ego

Today was somewhat brutal. I spent the morning and afternoon having my writing corrected in real time in front of my face, and then I spent the evening having my writing corrected in real time in front of my face. I have fairly thick skin, but I still have some amount of ego invested in my writing, and that's not a good thing.

When I was in college, taking Professional Writing classes, I got criticized a lot. In fact, one of the best parts of the program was being forced to write constantly and receiving legitimate feedback, both positive and negative, on most of what I wrote, whether I liked it or not. That is why I have thick skin. It was through these repeated experiences that I learned the deeper lesson, which is that you must be able to separate yourself from your writing.

No matter how much you define yourself as a writer, no matter how much heart and soul and passion you put into your work, that doesn't magically make it good. It doesn't magically make other people have to like it. And most importantly, it doesn't make you a lesser person if people don't like it. It is something you created, but it is not the sole definition of who you are.

Still though, if you don't stay in practice, you can lose sight of that lesson. And no matter how often you repeat the words, you can still find yourself getting caught up in that silliness all over again. Again, today was really rough for me. I can take criticism, but at a certain point, it just feels like I'm being beaten.

Nonetheless, and this is what matters most, I got through it. I'm alive and well. I did not receive any physical injuries, nor did I get any emotional scars. And best of all, I am a better writer for it. Already, my brain is far more aware of style and voice and which verbiage is exciting and which is dull. If I keep getting criticized, I'll be back in my prime.