Saturday I had an idea for a story. Then it became a great idea. Soon it became a great idea for a book, and before my mind could stop I had a great book to query an agent about, sell to a publisher and get ready for my reading tour.

The above is classic mind trap. What began as a simple idea from nowhere had now morphed into an ego trip focused on production, delivery, reward. I think it’s good for the ego to come in, but not at the pre-nascent stage when I hadn’t committed a single word to paper, and the entire concept existed in the ether.

Each voice that rocks back and forth in the skull has its place, even the critical ones – at their best, our inner critics offer sound editorial advice; at their worst, they tear you and your work down. Since many writers have a constant click-clack running in their heads, the trick is to corral the stream of chatter and do your best to turn as much as you can into something useful.

Honor the word, but first, honor the idea. Let it form and begin to take its shape before demanding it to be something else. Keep your words liquid, lucid and free.