Are you guilty of these creative faux pas?

A ‘faux pas’ {ˌfō ˈpä/} in French is literally translated as a ‘false step’. We usually think of a faux pas as a social gaff, a mistake that puts us on the wrong side of the conventional line.
But today I want to talk about some of the mistakes we may be unconsciously making that get in the way of having a satisfying writing life.
In the twenty years I have been working with writers, these are ten things we do that I know diminish our writing happiness. These faux pas are common to writers and any kind of artist. Check the list to see if you are – oops! – making any of these missteps.
Faux pas 1. Blabbing. Writers are always excited about their projects. This is good! But when you blab your ideas, you lose motivation to actually write them.
Faux pas 2. Overambitious scheduling. We all think we need hours and hours to write, but then we never manage to block off all that time. Start small and build. Fifteen minutes, several days per week, adds up.
Faux pas 3. Spending too much time reading about writing. Admit it: you know when you are procrastinating by reading rather than writing. Don’t spend your precious writing time reading someone else’s words.
Faux pas 4. Isolating yourself. The loner archetype may be appealing but isolating yourself robs you of the chance to grow beyond the known. Find other writers to share the adventure with. Connect with writing buddies in workshops, at readings, in libraries and bookstores.
Faux pas 5. Comparing yourself to others. If you make a comparison and it propels you to do more writing, the comparison has been useful. If it makes you feel like giving up writing, give up comparing instead.
Faux pas 6. Letting your inner critic take the lead. We tend to take the negative voice in our head as the truth. In my work with my clients, we always start by identifying that inner critic. When we know its tendencies, we can more easily know when it’s taken over. Choosing which perspectives to orient our actions to is one of the most powerful ways to honor our creativity and get things done that matter to us.
Faux pas 7. Staying in student mode. Classes are great, but if we’re counting on them to do all our focusing work, we’re not building our own creative muscles. Use the momentum of the class to continue writing once the class is over.
Faux pas 8. Giving in to discouragement. Every writer I’ve worked with despairs about how long it’s taking for them to write. But writing is a long process, and we have to accept that it’s not a rush job.
Faux pas 9. Judging your writing prematurely. Our inner critics love to get in on the critique action right away. Give your words a bit of space before you bring a critical eye. Leave a day or at least several hours before going in with the red pen.
Faux pas 10. Abandoning hope. I’ve been writing steadily for twenty-two years. I am always finding ways to improve my writing and am grateful for the challenge to be better. It takes time to hone a craft, so steady on!
If you’ve found yourself guilty of some of these creative missteps, don’t sweat! You are now aware of them, and that’s the first step.