Welcome back to another star-studded installment of everyone’s favorite alcohol-soaked advice column, Am I the Literary Asshole? It’s truly the gift that keeps on giving (and giving, and giving, and giving). I’m your host, Kristen Arnett, and since we’re coming in hot off the holiday weekend, why not keep the good vibes flowing?
Turn that frown upside down and turn that three-day weekend into a full week of fun. And nothing says fun quite like a spicy margarita, am I right? Little bit of lime, little bit of salt—it’s basically a health drink, chock full of essential vitamins and electrolytes.
I’ll pour us a couple and we’ll jump right on over to our first caller of the day: 1) How do I know I’m on the right track with my writing? I mean, are the things I’m writing worth publishing? How do I silence those inner voices?
Thank goodness for this margarita. This is a very large question for such a small and humble (and drunk and comedic) literary advice column. There are many ways to answer this, of course.
The “right track” can mean any number of things. It’s all according to what exactly you’re looking to get out of your writing. You’ve provided two additional questions as a form of follow up: how do you know the writing is worth publishing and how do you silence your inner critic?
And while both of those are valuable things to consider, it’s important to note that these three things don’t always have to sit together. Knowing that you’re “on the right track” with your writing could mean that you’re making art that feels exciting and fresh. It might mean building on the writing you’ve already done, honing your craft.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
