Writing, thinking, creating--these acts are bounded by two contrary processes: believing and doubting. For many student writers--for many people, in fact--being critical and judgmental can come easily. Hence, the truism "it's easier to critique them to create" (Alcott). Yet it is especially important, especially in the early stages of a writing project, for writers to put doubt and criticism aside. Learn how to play the believing game. Rather than being hypercritical of your work. Energize your work by focusing on more positive messages. Manage your writing process with the awareness that an early first draft provides insufficient information to assess what the final draft will look like; try some prewriting exercises, and learn to think rhetorically about your work. If you are required to complete a collaborative project in the class, don't automatically assume it will be a disaster, that one or two people end up doing the work of the group.
A range of writing activities, behaviors, and attitudes can enhance - or thwart - your ability to write successfully in college or in work-place settings. However, no factor is more important than playing the believing game, which simply means staying positive, ignoring the internal critic, and having faith in the writing process, faith that with revision, lousy first drafts can become effective, maybe even elegant. Throughout the time you are working on a document, as hard as it is sometimes to stay positive, give yourself postive, energizing messages, such as "I can do this...I have enough time...I'm smart enough..." If you find your thinking/writing process to be undercut by negative, energy-draining messages, pull out a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle of the page. On the left-hand side, write down the negative message. Then, on the right-hand side write a more affirming message, one that either contradicts the negative statment or one that shows a way around the problem. While ideally it makes sense to play the believing game throughout the time you're working on the document, it's probably more realistic to balance the believing game with the the doubting game. In other words, it's a little pollyannaish to argue that you should always be positive.
Right now, what are you saying to yourself? If negativity is bringing you down, write down some consistent positive messages, such as "I'm going to learn a lot by completing this essay!"
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