In the digital age, the inner critic doesn't just whisper in the quiet corners of a writer's mind; it echoes through the vast corridors of online platforms; it roars at us—amplified by the immediacy and, often, the anonymity of the digital world. Social media, online forums, and comment sections can become battlegrounds where taunts and criticisms from external voices magnify doubts and insecurities. All of this gives power to our inner critic!
I’m Rionna Morgan, an author, speaker, and writer advocate here in the digital age. I find myself falling victim to internal doubts, insecurities, and that dreaded inner critic, too. To combat those negatives, I’ve created a battle plan of sorts, armed myself with a sword and shield, ever-ready to ward off those negative jabs. I want to share my approach with you in the hopes that these tips and strategies may help you in your battle.
Navigating Digital Feedback and Comparison
The internet provides a platform for instant feedback and endless opportunities for comparison. Seeing others' highlight reels, accolades, and successes can exacerbate feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. The key is to navigate digital feedback constructively and avoid the pitfalls of comparison:
Selective Engagement: Not all online spaces are conducive to positive engagement. Choose communities that foster support and constructive feedback and limit exposure to toxic environments.
Contextualizing Feedback: Online feedback can range from insightful to baseless. Learn to discern and contextualize feedback, separating useful critiques from unhelpful negativity.
Comparison Awareness: Recognize when comparison is serving as a motivator and when it's undermining your confidence. Remind yourself that every writer's journey is unique, and online personas often represent curated success stories, not the full picture.
Digital Detox and Mindful Consumption
The constant bombardment of information and opinions online can overwhelm and fuel the Inner Critic. Implementing digital detox periods and being mindful of digital consumption can help quiet external noise:
Scheduled Detox: Regularly schedule time away from digital devices and platforms to reconnect with your own thoughts and the physical world around you.
Mindful Consumption: Be intentional about the content you consume online. Follow accounts and join groups that inspire and uplift you, rather than those that feed into self-doubt.
Leveraging Technology for Positive Affirmation
While the digital age presents new challenges, it also offers tools to combat the Inner Critic:
Online Support Groups: Join writer-focused online communities that offer encouragement, share success stories, and provide a platform for discussing challenges and solutions.
Digital Wins Journal: Utilize digital platforms to maintain a 'wins' journal, documenting positive feedback, milestones, and moments of pride. Apps and online journals can make this practice easily accessible and regularly updated.
Virtual Accountability Partners: Connect with fellow writers online to serve as accountability partners, offering mutual support, sharing achievements, and providing constructive feedback. A great place to do that is at PageDAO and Vagobond Media Group. They have a thriving community waiting to welcome you!
Embracing the Growth Mindset Digitally
The digital age, with its wealth of information and resources, can be a fertile ground for fostering a growth mindset:
Online Learning: Take advantage of online courses, webinars, and workshops to improve your craft and reinforce the belief in continuous learning and improvement.
Sharing the Journey: Share your writing journey, challenges, and learnings on digital platforms. This not only helps in normalizing the struggles but also in connecting with others on similar paths, creating a sense of community and shared growth.
In battling the Inner Critic in the digital age, the key lies in leveraging the positive aspects of technology—connectivity, accessibility, and community—while safeguarding against its potential to amplify self-doubt and comparison. By navigating the digital landscape with intention and mindfulness, writers can silence the Inner Critic and allow their creativity to thrive in the modern world.
—The above is an excerpt from A Practical Writer's Guide: From Inspiration to Publication By Rionna Morgan, coming soon from PageDAO & Whitney Morgan Media. This excerpt was originally published on Substack within the Vagobond Media Community.
—The digital graphics included with this article were created with Midjourney by Rionna Morgan for the purpose of this publication.
Rionna Morgan—has been recognized as an icon in the Web3 literary space. She is the author and creator of The 7 Love Stories, a Literary digital collectible collection making literary history. She is the creator of Roving with Rionna: The Craft of Writing Series. Through her work, Rionna strives to show how literature, storytelling, and publishing are being revolutionized in the digital world.
Since entering the space, Rionna has become a leading creator, educator, and speaker. Her passion for the beauty of the written word and the voices of those who write is powerful. As Editor-in-Chief of Vagobond Magazine and Community Department Lead for PageDAO Publishing, she is helping to establish a vibrant community where writers and creators in the space are celebrated, supported, and honored. As owner and CEO of Whitney Morgan Media, she educates and empowers authors, publishing works where tradition meets the future.
Rionna's work is available in Vagobond Magazine, Paragraph, Mythic North Press, BlockBook, and Simon & Schuster. Rionna has been a speaker at NFT.NYC, The Academic Web3 Conference, and has been featured on Fortune.com.
