If you’re writing anything of consequence, the sad reality is that you’re probably going to get shit on. Whether it’s a short blog post or a 10,000 word essay, someone will find a way to object to your ideas or question your motives in a not-so-friendly way, no matter what you intended. I know from both giving and receiving said shit.

The best thing to do? Just. Keep. Writing.

Spending time writing about things you care about is a net good thing, and you’re never going to be able to control what others think. If you’ve said anything remotely compelling, there’s a very good chance someone will misinterpret what you meant (or twist your words on purpose).

But it’s much better to have strong opinions about the things you care about than watering down your writing in an attempt to please as many people as possible. Tiptoeing around the edges won’t get people thinking, but opinionated writing can.

Now of course this doesn’t mean you aren’t responsible for what you write — you should still do your best to be considerate, thoughtful, respectful, and thorough. But you can do that in a way that’s also opinionated, convincing, and confident.

Bottom line — fighting off your inner critic before publishing is hard enough, much less trying to fight off every critic in the world in advance. Sometimes you just gotta hit send and let it fly.