Questions in Silence (Mailbag)

Hi and welcome back to Sitting in Silence. This is the fourth special post for patrons that I do here. It’s a question-and-answer post that I call Questions in Silence. It’s just what it sounds like. You ask me a question about any area this newsletter focuses on—writing, craft, joy, and worry—and there’s a good chance I’ll answer it either here informally or in the longer format general newsletter. Questions in Silence is a mail bag, a discussion, an exchange.

Special note: The paperback of my short story collection, The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You, comes out Tuesday, June 21. The new cover is gorgeous! This is it.

Today’s first question comes from Twitter user, @zakiaalibaig. For context, she was responding to my post. Here is the post: “Loving your writing is one more way of loving yourself.”

@zakiaalibaig: What about those who read their writings with a critical eye? Don’t they improve their work as striving for improved versions? How [is] praising always helpful?

Maurice: Everything in moderation. Praising is helpful sometimes and deleterious other times. Writers deal with at least two editorial inner voices. The most common is the hypercritical inner voice. This is the voice that tells you you’re not good enough. That you’ll never be as good as your literary heroes. That you shouldn’t quit your day job. Just give up.