Shoulder vultures...

Sooner or later, and sooner rather than later for most of us the shoulder vultures will show up.  And they are even worse than inner editors. 

Inner editors really, truly just want your writing to be the best it can be.  They nag and annoy but they ultimately have only the best in mind.

Shoulder vultures are not nice at all though.  These are the critters that lurk over your shoulder, whisper in your ear that even if you did manage to get published, that no one would ever want to read anything you could write.

They whisper that you don't have the knowledge, the ability or even the sense needed to write a decent story.  They laugh and tease when you consider sending things to a publisher/editor/agent or contest. 

Shoulder vultures take several different forms too.  They can be friends and family.  They can be your spouse and most of all, shoulder vultures can be yourself.  And, they tend to sneak up on you when you least expect them.

Just as we need to deal with our inner editors, we need to deal with shoulder vultures.  I still fight with my shoulder vultures and I know from other writers they do also.  Even multi-pulished authors have shoulder vulture issues.

I don't have much advice in the way of battling these annoying creatures.  I guess the thing is just be aware of them, know they are wrong, don't listen to them and don't let them get to you.

Realize that you'll have doubts.  You'll have fears to overcome and there will be days you don't believe there's any point to continuing. 

So, smack those shoulder vultures, pull their tail feathers or whatever it takes to shoo them away, then, get your backside to the puter and write.

Remember, "Writers write."