The Inner Voice.

The Singapore's Writer's festival was an experience of euphoria and dismay. Disappointment but gratitude. I enjoyed it immensely, and even learnt more than I could deny from hubris. The vigor of learning about others about such an insular hobby was fun and something I'll different return for next year. But one of the talks I was at struck me and was perhaps the most useful one I attended. Specifically, it was about how people teach creative writing and the skills and techniques they use in pushing the creativity out of the novices. And as I sat there listening to these people, I noticed they would throw out certain phrases which my ear would catch and perhaps mean something.

'Rhythm in writing.'

'Writing advice is Life advice'

'Unblocking your creative pathways'

'There is writing and then there's writing'

'Plenty of rules in writing but also plenty of exceptions'

And my favorite...

'Finding you Inner voice.'

Maybe I'm jaded. I'm a bit young for that but never mind. It's just that these buzz words and phrases I keep hearing laced in within all these talks about creative fiction, grates on the ears a bit. I can't tell you how many YouTube videos I've seen with 'finding your inner voice' being the top tip in a list of 5 on how to be writer.

It's a little cliche is all.

But I'm not a dismissive person by nature. So I thought about it. These phrases stand out for a reason. And I feel it's doing them a little injustice if we don't properly drain all the insight we can get out of them. Don't be the guy that hears it, nods your head, and gives it the same amount of cognitive effort as if it was good rhyme in a song. You're brain's not dumb, it didn't pick out that phrase because it sounded cool, your brain knew there's something there.

So I thought about it.

I'm still thinking about it. And you should to.