You might be familiar with your Inner Critic—the voice that says you’re not good enough. Or compares yourself to others. Or expects nothing but perfection. Our instinct is to push that voice away. But, paradoxically, we can find more inner peace and free up creative energy by moving toward that voice, with curiosity and compassion. In this workshop, we will cover the roots and purpose of the Inner Critic and how it affects writers and other creative people. We’ll look at seven types of Inner Critics, including the Perfectionist, the Task Master, and the Guilt Tripper, followed by a self-assessment quiz to determine your predominant types. Finally, you’ll learn specific skills and strategies for managing your Inner Critic so that you can move happily forward in your writing life.

Overview:

• What is the Inner Critic (IC)?
• Roots of the IC
• Purpose of the IC
• Seven Types of IC
• Brief self-assessment tool to identify participants’ predominant type of IC
• Strategies and tools for befriending the IC
• Q&A and discussion

Hosted by Cambridge Common Writers and led by Deborah Sosin (Nonfiction, January 2015).