Critical Essay - Inner Editor
July/16/2025 04:44 PM Filed: Critical Essays
© Julia Charpentier
Like a scene from an archaic novel, meet the inner editor:
It had been years since she had seen the sun. No one had locked her up, no barrier had been placed on her door. Though sunlight streamed through her windows, she no longer felt its warmth or appreciated the intriguing patterns its beams projected on her floor. She lived in self-imposed darkness, grieving for a time that had passed and could not be lived again.
Immersed in the words of a detractor, contemplative and uncertain, she is critical of her world. A long ago place, her place, her only home, now a dimly lit memory faded against these confining walls. Not a home with doors and windows, but a free outdoor space, it was a refuge that thrived under an endless light.
Bask in the sunlight and flourish. Then read my October-November 1992 clip on self-editing published in The Write Touch, a newsletter for authors.
