Wow, we are at our last technique in strategy seven. And we only have one more strategy after this. So we have moved through this course. And we have made a lot of progress. Our last technique is technique 10. And this is our longest by far strategy in the whole course.
And attitudes are important and so it's good to break them down but technique 10 states silence the internal critic early in the writing process. And this is one of the main things that I emphasize with my students the first couple of weeks of a composition class. The explanation, the internal judge or critic is the number one block to productive writing. At least that's what I've seen in my students and that's what I've seen in myself. So many writers, so many writers expect perfection, a completed product, or the last word on a first or second draft. But strong writing takes several drafts.
The process is messy by nature. And that's okay. And so we all have this internal critic, or at least most people do, where something has to be perfect. We're too worried about the finished product. Not that that's not important. But early in the writing process, it really isn't as important as it is later on.
And so it blocks a lot of people that perfectionism is probably my greatest weakness as a writer, something that I've really struggled with. And that's where you just at some point have to just do it. It's true. And you have to silence that internal critic early in the writing process. And in strategy eight, we'll talk about some specific techniques for getting ahead of that internal critic so that it can't catch up with you. The judge cannot lock up and stop you from saying what it is you need to say from getting ideas out.
And if those ideas start off being chaotic and messy, In not making a lot of sense, that's okay. But that's what a first draft is for. And we'll get into that more, like I said in the next strategy, but just keep in mind that it's the number one block to writing and you work on silencing that internal critic. Remember that writing is a process, right stream of conscious if you have this problem and just let the mess be what it is, as the army says, embrace the suck. It's first drafts generally suck. I encourage you to read shitty first drafts by Anne Lamott is a great piece on this very thing.
Another one that is good is Dorothy a brand. Her book on the writing process is also very helpful in that. But early in the writing process, your job is to generate ideas and thoughts later in the writing process, you can look at writing with a more critical lie. And so just a quick recap of technique 10. Remember to silence the interval terminal critic, silence the internal critic early in the writing process. And that wraps it up for strategy seven and I will see you in strategy eight