Down and Quote by Elif Batuman
“I think any start has to be a false start because really there’s no way to start. You just have to force yourself to sit down and turn off the quality censor. And you have to keep the censor off, or you start second-guessing every other sentence. Sometimes the suspicion of a possible false start comes through, and you have to suppress it to keep writing. But it gets more persistent. And the moment you know it’s really a false start is when you start … it’s hard to put into words.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, “Elif Batuman on Writing”, 2023
Writing often feels blocked by self‑criticism; overcoming it requires deliberate action to silence internal judgment and keep the process flowing.
In simple terms: Silence your inner critic to write.
Key Takeaway
Turn off self‑judgment, write anyway.
Themes
creativity
self‑criticism
discipline
Mood
frustrated
determined
Type
advice
motivational
When to use this quote
- drafting a novel
- blog post
- academic paper
- creative journaling
Key Concepts
psychology
flow state
authorial voice
Questions to Reflect On
- How does you silence your inner critic?
- What strategies keep you writing despite doubt?
A Different Perspective
The need for constant self‑evaluation can still stifle originality.
![“Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and the screenplay of Simon (Beaufoy) and I was reading it, even before the shoot, some kind of sounds came into my mind and I put some stuff [down] and sent it to…” quote by A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/573/a-r-rahman-4481_cutting_since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-o_539.jpg)
