Have you ever heard an inner voice whisper while you’re writing?

This is boring.

Why are you doing this?

Why do you need this?

Something’s missing.

This doesn’t make sense.

He/she/it wouldn’t do this.

This isn’t enough.

I don’t mean the loud, “This sucks—no one wants to read this” voice. That one, I regularly reject.

No, this is the quiet voice you barely hear over the steady roar of your mind’s creative process. The voice it’s easy to override, not pay attention to, or rationalize away. Luckily, it usually comes back. I’ve learned to disregard this voice at my peril. In one case, I flat out ignored this voice, even when a critiquer echoed it (you’re ending the story too soon). But when an editor said the same thing, I finally gave in. She was right, the critiquer was right, and so was my inner voice. Much work, time, and editing cost later, I fixed the problem and vastly improved the story as a result.

What did I learn from this? Pay attention to that inner voice. It may be quiet, but it’s wise and usually right on the money. Call it your inner editor, a writer’s instinct, or maybe a hidden muse. Whatever it is, give it a listen. It may be pointing out exactly what your story needs.