Writer's Cringe

Much has been written about writer's block. It's often believed to be something that effects everyone who writes from time to time. You can see the scenes in movies where the struggling writer stares at a blank page in total bewilderment. The biggest misconception is that writer's block is the inability to begin writing. I think very few writers have this struggle in reality. The truth is more like the way it's depicted in the sensational movie "Adaptation" (see from 1:24-2:10).

Worse than writer's block is what I call writer's cringe. This is where you have a cringe reaction to anyone reading something less than your best work. This is usually during the editing and feedback process but can also be when you re-read something you've already published that has a typo, awkward expression or ideas you've since discarded in it. But the more you try and prevent writer's cringe beforehand the more likely it is you'll have writer's block.

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I take my writing seriously and strive to do my best but I'm also not precious about it. I don't take it too seriously. I'm more dedicated to getting the process right than about having everything I write be absolutely perfect.

The other thing worth noting is that this is essentially the lean startup approach to writing. Write fast, write often, edit a lot. This might also explain why I often abandon fully completed articles to write them again from scratch and publish a small percentage of what I write. Have you ever had writer's cringe?