Fighting with your inner critic

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory scribe John August has a great post on his blog about those long, dark moments of the soul all writers face, and trying to distinguish between a failure of self confidence and finding yourself writing the wrong story. [Optimistic Reader also has a few things to say on the subject, too.] But my favourite bit from John August's posting is this nugget of wisdom he gleaned from another source...

At a workshop last week, one writer said her trick to getting through these bleak times started before she even began working on a project. She would write a half-page letter to herself about why she was excited about the project. Then she’d take this letter and seal it away. Hopefully, she’d never need to look at it again. But if she hit hopeless despair, she could rip that envelope open and be re-inspired.