Otto has a plan. A strategy to keep us off balance. In the darkness.
Behind the curtain he has a nasty bag of tricks. In it are tactics. Steps, gimmicks, shams to swat our creative ambitions off course. The last thing he wants is momentum. Or persistence. That could spell disaster. It’s best to nip any creative initiative in the bud. That’s when it’s most vulnerable.
Take a peek at the diagram. It’s a mind map of the goodies Otto uses to knock me off stride. Do you see any I’ve missed? I bet you do. Grab yourself some coloured pens and draw your own pinwheel. You might surprise yourself with what comes up.
Some tactics are more dominant than others. Take criticism, for example.
This is garbage. Are you kidding—nobody wants to read this trash.
Does this sound familiar? Or how about these?
You’re a no talent bum. Who do you think you are? John Steinbeck? You’re too old. You’re too young. You’re going to fail. And OMG, how about this one—what if I succeed?!
But my all-time favourite is this one: it’s not perfect!
We’ll get back to that one later, at length.
The onslaught goes on ad nauseam.
Otto doesn’t want my pen gliding across the page. Or my fingers dancing on the keyboard. He’ll do anything to impede my progress.
Why?
Because writing is light. And he doesn’t want me to see him for who he truly is—a coward who hides behind the curtain.
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