21 The Inner Game of Hypnotic Writing
T
here is an inner game of EVERYTHING,” said W. Timothy
Gallwey. He should know. Gallwey has written several books
on “inner game” playing. The most popular are The Inner Game of
Tennis,The Inner Game of Golf,and The Inner Game of Skiing.My
personal favorite is the one he co-authored with Barry Green,The
Inner Game of Music.
There’s an inner game of writing, too, and it plays a major role
in developing Hypnotic Writing. Let me prove it to you by apply-
ing the inner game principles to writing.SELF ONE: THE CRITIC
When you’re writing, have you noticed a little voice in your head
judging your work? You might even hear it right now. It’s the voice
talking about what you’re reading as you are reading. It’s the voice
that tells you that your writing is good or lousy (usually the latter).
You may be so used to this well-intended unseen companion that
you don’t know he’s there in your head. But he’s there. Believe me.
And it is this inner critic called Self One in the inner game that
stops you from writing with ease, flow, and originality.
If you find a part of you saying things like, “You aren’t a good
writer,” or, “Watch your spelling!” then you’ve heard Self One. In