overview
The role of criticism in the creative process is often misunderstood. As writers, we need internal critical faculties, but we also need to control when the Inner Critic appears and how to use it effectively so that it doesn’t stop or inhibit the creative flow. This chapter deals with the function of criticism and critical thinking in the writing process.
- criticism – what does this word really mean and how do we work with criticism effectively during the creative process?
- critical thinking – the ability to take a step back and look at your work objectively, assessing its strengths and weaknesses, and making choices about the most effective way to express your ideas.
- the Inner Critic – we need the ability to look at critically at our work, but only at the right time. During the writing process, the Inner Critic can kill the creative impulse and stop the flow of ideas, but there is an appropriate time to use our critical faculties as we refine and develop our ideas.