Summary

The article encourages aspiring writers to stop waiting for external validation and to give themselves permission to write, emphasizing the importance of self-belief and resilience in the face of criticism.

Abstract

The article "Are You Waiting for Permission to Write?" by Linda Locke addresses the common issue of writers waiting for external validation before starting to write. Locke uses a personal anecdote about a discouraging creative writing class to illustrate the detrimental impact of negative criticism. The author emphasizes that writers should not let others' opinions hinder their creative expression, drawing on Eleanor Roosevelt's quote about consenting to feel inferior. Locke motivates writers to overcome fear of judgment, take control of their writing journey, and start creating without seeking approval from others. She also provides a call to action for readers to write their own permission slips and begin writing, while offering the option to follow her work or subscribe to her newsletter for further inspiration.

Opinions

The author believes that waiting for permission to write is a sign of being stuck in "limbo land," which hinders one's writing journey.
Locke recounts a negative experience with a creative writing professor whose purpose was to discourage "inferior writers," suggesting that such harsh criticism is unwarranted and counterproductive.
The article conveys the opinion that writers should not be dissuaded by critics, as they hold the power to decide whether to pursue writing.
The author asserts that writers must step out of their comfort zones and start writing to discover their potential, regardless of the fear of negative comments.
Locke quotes Eleanor Roosevelt to reinforce the idea that one's sense of inferiority is self-imposed and can be overcome by not consenting to negative opinions of others.
The article encourages self-empowerment by suggesting that writers craft their own permission slips to embark on their writing endeavors.

Are You Waiting for Permission to Write?

Go ahead and write your own permission slip

Photo by **Andrea Piacquadio** from **Pexels**

Are you looking in from the outside, waiting for someone to give you permission to start writing?

Do you spend countless hours reading other people’s stories, scrolling through social media and never writing anything of your own?

Do you tell yourself that you aren’t good enough to write anything that people will read?

Are you afraid that someone will make a negative comment about your story?

If you answered Yes to even one of these questions, you’re in limbo land, stuck waiting for permission to start writing.

The Writing Class from Hell

I once took a creative writing class at my local community college that was a complete horror show.

The professor was determined to weed out as many people from the class as she could, because her stated purpose was to discourage inferior writers.

She admitted that she only wrote essays herself, but thought she had a good nose for determining if the writing was good or not.

She would make us read our stories out loud and then tear them apart with vicious glee. She said it would toughen us up — only the strong would survive.

As the weeks went on, the class grew smaller and smaller. No one wanted to read anything out loud any more. It was painful to watch.

Finally, I came to the conclusion that she was a frustrated writer herself and could only make herself feel better by tearing down others.

I also decided it was all rubbish and dropped the class.

I only wish I’d told her off and encouraged the rest of the students to walk out of the class with me!

So what’s the moral to this story?

Well, as Eleanor Roosevelt once famously said:

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

There are always critics like my horrible English professor who will try to discourage you from writing or any creative pursuit. But you don’t have to listen to their negativity if you don’t want to.

You are the only one who can decide if you want to write or not.

You hold the power to step out of your comfort zone and start writing.

And you’ll never know what kind of writer you’ll be, if you don’t even try.

So go ahead and write your own permission slip and start writing already!

👉 If you liked this story and would like to see more of my work, you can follow me here or subscribe to my newsletter.

👉 If you’re not currently a Member and would like to have access to all my stories and the stories of 1000’s of other Medium writers you can use my link to become a member. When you use my link I get a small commission at no cost to you.