Are you struggling to write because you’re aiming for perfection, or because you feel you’re just not good enough?
Is it because it’s hard, you don’t know what to do, or is it just a thought telling you that you aren’t good enough to write?
It takes hard work to become a writer, but if you are constantly telling yourself that you aren’t good enough and letting writing perfectionism take control over you, then shit, I understand.
How writing perfectionism stops writers and how to overcome It
Sadly, a lot of people give up when the devil shows up. They sprint away to save themselves the trouble, but in the process, they turn their backs on their dreams.
But for what, and why?
Because it’s difficult?
Nobody said writing would ever be easy.
“Maybe I just need to get my shit together.”
This was the thought I dealt with and I can only assume it’s something you are dealing with too.
But here’s the thing.
It’s destructive.
But, for some reason, it’s still such a natural thing for us to do.
When the frustration hits and you get stuck, I understand it’s easy to blame it on perfectionism, but the fact is that it’s you, not perfectionism.
It’s just the thing that makes the most sense.
Not to shot you down.
I mean, I 100% agree perfectionism exists, but I believe it’s usually a symptom of a much larger problem.
But it’s such a simple thing that unfortunately has been allowed to grow into something it shouldn’t.
A misdiagnosed disease.
So how about we look at how you can overcome the writing perfectionism disease that’s currently stopping you from writing the novel you want.
Photo by SEO Galaxy on Unsplash
Getting past writing anxiety
First off, I hope I didn’t offend you at the start.
It wasn’t my intention.
In fact, I want to help you get over it.
I know how difficult and frustrating it is to feel stuck in your writing. Especially because there’ll always be some level of perfectionism rooted in our writing, and it’s all thanks to writing anxiety.
I have got it.
You have it.
We all have it.
And from my experience from the past year, it doesn’t get any easier. You do get better the more time you put in, but you’ll keep raising your standard.
And I, therefore, believe to overcome writing perfectionism it’s important you remind yourself of your current situation on a daily.
Which is that you are an aspiring writer.
Your dream is to become a writer and you’ve just starting out on your journey.
And right now, you only need to focus on writing for yourself, the story you want to tell, and for your personal growth as a writer.
If you let other people’s opinion, put on too much pressure at this state, it’s going to feel like running up hill with a storm blasting your face.
“But Jack it isn’t that easy.”
I know sorry, but this is why I recommend you keep a motivational note in your notebook.
A short: “I’m writing this for me” will suffice.
It might seem trivial, but remind yourself daily and keep focusing on how you can improve as a writer – writing exercise, reading, or writing prompt – anything you do, put yourself in the center. And if you’re struggling to find a way, I have created a post to help you make your writing more productive.
Stop overthinking writing: A key to overcoming perfectionism
As an aspiring writer, there’s nothing more important than writing the an impactful and perfect piece – am I right?
I remember feeling the pressure with every sentence.
It had to sound right, look right, and just feel right.
I’d study every sentence, staring at them, waiting for them to tell me what’s wrong – but they never did.
But with time I realized:
It wasn’t the fact I tried to make every sentence perfect that stopped me.
It was the constant thinking that put my mind into overtime.
Because how do you even define perfect?
As an aspiring writer, I’d say, as long as you put words to paper and your story captivates you, then you’re well on your way.
Whatever you are thinking, get it down.
Let your creativity flow and combine it with the words that your mind gives you and then in time you can edit it out.
Sure, it might initially lead you in weird direction, but with time it’ll be much better.
And in case the perfectionism has made you forgot, here’s an important reminder: The words are there, you just need to let them come out.
Therefore, it’s quite is simple.
To overcome the perfectionism in your writing you have to stop overthinking the way you write and just accept the imperfection.
Embrace the imperfection to overcome the perfectionism in your writing
With constant creative flow, there’ll be imperfection.
It’s as much a fact as it’s a law.
The sooner you accept imperfection, the sooner you’ll conquer the perfectionism disrupting your writing.
I know it’s easy to say, especially when you are sitting on the outside looking in, but during my metting with the devil, I realized it’s just a matter of pride and expectations
As an aspiring writer it makes sense you want to put your best foot forward.
You have to compete with a million other writers, but want to know what happens when you conquer them? Another line of writers is waiting for you.
But here’s the thing: if you want to make every sentence perfect, you’ll get 100 words down per session.
And either you have the strongest patience or you’re just crazy, because I could never.
To be honest, if that is your output, then you might as well forget about ever reaching the finish line.
Not to shoot your dreams down, but burn out will most likely defeat you before get there.
As a beginner, there’s only two thing you need to focus on:
- Write a lot.
- Get your work out there.
Everything else is secondary.
And how do you accomplish this? Accept imperfection.
It might feel inefficient, but as a beginner everything is still new and even your best stuff will feel insufficient, so why not just let your creativity flow and enjoy the journey without the pressure?
Don’t overcomplicate your writing
You’ve probably heard this before, but it’s worth repeating:
The more you complicate your writing, the harder you make it for yourself.
Couple it with the perfectionism, and you’re well on your way to build a fortress that isn’t going to fall any time soon.
As an aspiring writer, there’s nothing wrong with being basic and simple. It’s what you should strive for. It’s better to be basic and overcome the perfectionism in your writing than to stare at a document trying to create the perfect sentence – wouldn’t you agree?
I’ve lost count how often I struggled to find just the right word or forced my mind to create the best sounding sentences.
And eventually the frustration from just staring at my reflection in the screen, made me make a rule that I currently live by:
The first draft of a novel doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to be done.
Therefore, the only thing I focus on is finishing the novel. Everything complicated, like massive plot details or complex character developments, if they don’t come naturally, then I leave it alone.
And it has worked wonderful.
Why?
Two things.
One, by forcing myself to just write and really ignoring the perfect word, I have actually grown to enjoy my writing. It was difficult in the beginning, but it was all a matter of stopping the thoughts a couple of times.
And secondly, which might be a little-known secret about writing, but the delete button is a thing.
How to write without self-criticism and overcome perfectionism
Let’s first define self-criticism: The act of criticizing every little thing you do. In the context of writing. This would be to questioning every decision you make for the story. It’s every word, sentence, and paragraph.
To write without self-criticism is like jumping, on one leg, with a blind fold on.
Is it hard? Sure.
Impossible? Not at all.
And how exactly do you do this?
You just have to accept whatever comes to you.
Here I’m not referring to all the bullshit people might throw at you. Those bastards need to be put back in their place and not disturb your dream.
You need to accept whatever thought or idea comes to your mind as you write. You need to accept them and let them shape your writing.
“But Jack, I can’t. It’ll drive my story in the wrong direction.”
Have a little faith.
Trust yourself and take the time to just let the words flow.
I can almost guarantee you that your mind will put itself in the right spot. It might take a bit of a detour, but if done correctly, you won’t even notice it. You’ll be too busy enjoying the process and in awe of how much easier writing is.
And if you ever feel uncertain about if you are doing the correct thing, just remember: Once you finish the first draft, everything else will become easier.
Don’t edit while writing
Now we are really heading into a personal area.
There’s a lot of research saying your brain can’t handle both. I think it’s something with using different areas of your brain and while I can’t speak on their scientific validity, I can suddenly speak on their practical effect.
Because I was convinced this was the way when I started.
I’d spent ten minutes writing, then ten minutes editing. It was a beautiful duo session three times an hour.
Not only did the constant switching between writing and editing slow me down, it messed with my creativity. It was impossible to develop a thought before my mind was already editing it.
I realized if you are always looking for something to edit, you’ll always find yourself backtrack in your writing.
It’ll cause you to constantly break your writing flow, and makes it difficult to overcome the perfectionism currently destroying your writing.
And that’s also why I recommend you just let your words fly and save the editing later.
Writing is for writing, but once you have placed the last period, then it’s time to edit.
As an aspiring writer, this is the best way to improve the speed of your improvement and get past the perfectionism. If you don’t edit your work and just focus on writing, then you’re obviously not able to spend any time self-destruct.
Writing habits for improvements
That was a lot to take in.
Perfectionism is really a bitch to deal with and sadly as a new writer, it can feel like one pit fall after the other, but it really doesn’t have to be.
There’s a lot of things you can do, but no matter what you choose to do, it’ll take time to beat perfectionism.
It’s a mindset, it’s an environment and it’s a lot of new things, and a way of doing things, you need to get comfortable with.
Instead of expecting your work to be flawless, accept the imperfection.
Allow yourself to feel no pressure by allowing yourself to tell the story you want to tell.
You should simply sit down, write and just accept whatever thoughts occur to you.
Remember this is not a company putting up a job requiring you to have 25 years of experience at the age of 5. It’s your writing journey and it’s okay to be a beginner, so embrace it and enjoy the process.
That’s a wrap for today.
Have you ever felt trapped by perfectionism in your writing? How did you or how are you dealing with it? Share your story in the comments or send me a mail – I’d love to hear your story.
Until next time – Hope you have a productive and creative day.
Your writing buddy,
Jack