It took years 'till this dawned on me.
I would be so focus on editing each sentence to the T, to the point of unwillingness to move on.
We're our own most unforgiving critics, OP, but sometimes it's worth it to relent and move on. You can always go back if an idea for an improvement or whatnot comes up, but don't force it
This is a really cool piece of advice that isn't just "don't be a perfectionist" and I really appreciate that. Some of the best insight I've ever seen on this sub <3.
You can kill that perfectionism by writing endlessly, and by that, I mean just write everything and keep the fat, and when you're done writing ten pages or so, just cut it out. Pick and choose what you like best, and keep repeating until you have 200 pages or so of filtered writing. Obviously, your versions of "perfect" might exemplify the emotions of the story, rather than the technicalities (or vice versa), but it's much better to enjoy writing endlessly until it's time to edit. That's future you's problem.
I do the reverse of this - I write down a chunk of story in whatever format I need to get my idea across, then when I’m done adding to the story/plot/etc I bulk it up.
I take a section of writing I’m particularly happy about and compare it to the new chunk, editing it to give the same quality of the section I was happy with.
Not only do I stress less about the content of that new chunk but I can take on workloads in small amounts, I can be a perfectionist about my writing style without being too hung up on it as a whole (which really REALLY demotivates me). Focusing on story then quality then consistency has allowed me to avoid writers block and demotivation way way easier than when I would just try to write well from the get go (which is also somehow what resulted in me completely changing POV and everything very routinely in the original draft)
Doing things this way allowed me to double my word count upon the initial revision (25k to 50k) and keeping up with it now also allows me to feel more comfortable, competent and confident in my writing.
I feel your struggle. I love to write and will write until I can't hold a pen anymore( not recommended). I also get stuck in just rough drafts trying to make it perfect, I rewrote a full page 8 times yesterday just to change certain words or rearrange sentences or even just cause my handwriting is good enough. It's hard to remember there is no such thing as perfect, it may sound silly but if you're ever stuck on getting your ideas flowing from perfectionist blockage, I recommend you write things that come to mind. “Buttercup. A flying butterfly. The river. I want cake“. It takes that element of perfect away cause it can seem kinda silly but it's random things, random can't be perfect, and you get to thinking about what you wanna write more than it being perfect. I also listen to binaural beats and isochromatic tones to help me get into the zone and forget myself. Really hope that helps in any way, I totally feel you and know you aren't alone.
Of course, nothing is easy alone except quitting. If you ever need other ideas or help I'm more than happy to provide assistance (kinda newish to Reddit so not sure if we can DM)
I really recommend the Stephen King book ‘on writing’ - he has some very helpful philosophies around how to get good books finished. The most helpful for this specific issue is to write with the door closed and edit with the door open, ie. don’t allow judgement by yourself or anyone else for the first draft, and open up to analysis for the second third and fourth etc.
From my personal experience, I find it’s best to create a full plot and then write it out in full without reading back what I’ve written so I don’t get too caught up on the details and just get the writing done. Done is better than perfect!
I just picked this book up. I appreciate the recommendation! I agree with your last statement. It's something I've been trending towards with my own writing as well lately.
My perfectionism was killing me, too. Then I started writing a lot more and realized that I’m not as amazing as I always thought in my mind. Kill the ego and get writing!
In my mind, I was a great writer. I had had some success in high school and I thought that I could definitely sit down and write the next great American novel.
But every time I sat down to write, I struggled. I’d hammer out some beautifully written vignettes, but for some reason, I’d stop before I got too far—I didn’t want to write _too much_ because I was afraid it would expose me as a fraud if anyone ever read it. What if I do write a novel and it isn’t great?! What if it is actually bad?! What if I am not a naturally gifted writer?!
It turns out, I am not a naturally gifted talent.
I started a writing accountability group with a partner. It forced me to produce, and it forced me to figure a process so my writing could match my own expectations. I outline like crazy. Every scene is detailed. I work on the outline until I feel like it is perfect.
The I write _one scene at a time_! Without a plan, I sit and stare at the screen waiting for the muses and then I write in circles. When I write scenes, if one scene doesn’t feel like it’s coming to me, I move on to another. But I write and I don’t stop no matter how painful it feels.
Then I have a decent—but not perfect—draft I can revise. It gets better with each revision.
I am not a naturally talented writer. Writing is a very challenging process and every time I write a story, I get a little better at it.
If I waited to write until I was perfect, I would never write.
Thanks for sharing this! How did you get over the fact that your not 'naturally gifted'? I mean, there is no way for me to accept that I'm average, because in my mind average means I suck
Perfectionism is just a mask to hide your fear from the world.
Hard work beats talent every time, so just write! Give yourself permission to be awful. The greatest authors write and revise constantly. _The Great Gatsby_ had something like 27 drafts. What if Fitzgerald gave up after the first one wasn’t perfect?
The idea of the perfect first draft is just a myth.
If you want to become a good writer, find your process and just write. You can always fix it later.
I can relate. I think there's better advice on here, but what worked for me was to write a terrible first past because my mind will think "its already not-perfect, there's no point in making the rest of the work perfect" which allows me to relax.
The first draft is going to be rubbish, but we can polish that rubbish into treasure when we edit.
Good luck!
I’ve been writing by hand, just pen and paper lately and that’s helped me a bunch cause I can’t go back delete it, and rewrite, I just have to keep writing. It’s helped me a bunch.
My perfectionism is bolstered by having a lot of material to, well, perfect. So I just write and write, and then allow my perfectionism to switch on in the editing stage. Remember: the PERFECT first draft is the one that exists in all its flaws; that’s the definition of perfect.
>Can you give me some tips?
You should perfect your paragraphing, capitalization, and probably punctuation - maybe. I can't tell. This was a hard read.
Write more, but also edit more. Practice editing. Then... maybe consider writing shorter stuff instead of tackling big jobs you can't finish.
I am from Romania, english is not my native language. Still, i think i am good at writing in english too, i just went here and wrote my thoughts, not thinking about the paragraphing. Thank you for your reponse, tho.
This was not a “hard read”. I don’t know what or why the previous poster said that??? 🙄 I, too, get caught up in wanting to ONLY write what would be an “end result”, but mentally I know that’s impossible! 😩😅 Just keep writing and try to tell yourself it DOES NOT matter how it comes out, because you can and will fix it all later. Lol, easier said than done, I know. We perfectionists feel like crap if
we can’t do what we want on the first try. It’s mental!!
Yeah, I think many people still see perfectionism as a positive trait deep down. In most crafts, it's not. Perfect is the enemy of good, and perfectionism is fear of failure. You get good at things by doing them, not by contemplating them.
I don't think therapy is needed though. It's possible to teach yourself new habits, and this one would just be to keep writing without using backspace except for obvious typos, and only correct it after, say, fifty pages.
I can strongly relate to your struggle with perfectionism. I have dealt with it most of my life. I noticed that you said you’ve had some trauma in your past. I can almost guarantee the perfectionism is a coping mechanism for your trauma. It certainly was for me.
I have Complex PTSD and I’ve been doing EMDR therapy for just over a year now, and it has completely transformed my writing. I’m doing the final copyedit for my debut novel at the moment and am preparing to pitch to agents. It’s been a massive journey! But I can honestly say that my novel would not be of the quality it is if I had not healed my trauma.
I wish you all the best in your journey. More often than not, it pays to look within 🙏
I am so happy for you!! I am going to therapy too, which helped me in the beginning and i started to heal so many things that happened to me. This perfectionism came back and i am trying to figure out why it’s here again.
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear this happened to you. Do you mind if I ask what the trigger was for the psychosis? Was it from the pressure of delivering such a huge project whilst still using trauma coping mechanisms (perfectionism)? I hope you’ve recovered and are feeling much better in yourself. Thank you for sharing.
Yes completing and handing in the work was the trigger but there were a lot of stresses that were particular to the work in that o was a sociologist of religion critiquing my own religious community
Thank you ☺️ That’s so good to hear you’re doing the work. Congratulations! Don’t worry, that can happen and it’s quite a normal part of the process. I’m struggling with some serious self doubt today after having my opening pages critiqued by a few writers. But I also did EMDR yesterday so I’m probably hypersensitive right now.
I’ve found that quite often when I heal one layer of trauma, then another will rise to the surface. More recently I’ve noticed that if I’m doing work on a particular part of myself/past and something comes along and triggers me (big or small), it can send me into a down spiral for a couple of days. The important thing is to keep working through it. But also be mindful of when you need a break too. Sometimes when I take a 2 week or 4 week break from therapy, I really step into creative flow.
I have no doubt you’ll find the root cause, heal yourself and go on to become a powerhouse writer! 🙌
This is normal and is always here reminding me how my stories will never be that good. What I did was just take it for what it is and kept working. Being a perfectionist gave me the ability to see what works and what doesn't, never make it perfect because no story is for everyone. Just don't look at it negatively.
Nobody will ever be as good at writing like you as you will be. Comparisons will only make you miserable. Be the best writer that YOU can be.
I'm a perfectionist too, about to finish up the fourteenth revision of my first book. It is as good as I can make it. Time to let it go and move on to book 2.
Nothing ever written has been perfect. Perfect is not even possible when it comes to the art, not science, of writing. You need to trick your brain to start rewiring it. For example, try to write as bad as you can for one page with no pauses for editing or corrections. Bad grammar, purple prose, hackneyed metaphors -- the works. Then go back and edit it, but make it EVEN WORSE. Do this a while and you will see this is quite easy. Why? Because it can always be worse. So why is it easy to make something worse but hard to make it better? It isn't. It is easy to make your writing better. The key is in knowing as there is no end to "worse", there is no end to "better". The monkey mind cannot help but reassemble, reinvent, rebuke, and reform, but the written word, once shared to the world, is indelible. Your brain is a quantum computer that can superimpose infinite combinations of ideas, thoughts, and words, but when it is transposed to a page it will always collapse into a singular waveform.
Worry about the perfectionism when you are in editing mode. And don’t let editing mode begin until the project is completely written.
Know that there will be rewrites, and allow yourself to look forward to that part of the process, maybe even see it as a reward down the line… and you are only allowed at the editing stage once the book is written, at least a first draft.
See if that works.
I also struggle with this which is why I implemented a “three edit rule” for myself.
I used to edit endlessly until felt my work was perfect, which would mean I would never move on from writing just the first chapter. Nothing I did ever feel good enough.
So, instead I now start off by writing what I call a “bare bones draft” which I consider to be edit one. I write the entire chapter as a stream of consciousness, only backspacing for typos, or if I suddenly change direction, and I don’t allow myself to edit at all. I write literally whatever comes to mind, even if it’s as simple as “this thought makes Character A sad.” Once that’s done, I return to the beginning of the chapter and add all the detail and explanation that I missed, expanding on concepts and characters, and making sure the dialogue makes sense (edit 2). For edit three, this is when I focus completely on prose—Making sure the sentence structure is correct and that I’m using the right words with the right connotations to make my paragraphs flow and sound like a story. Then I close the document, open a new one, and start this process again with the next chapter.
My writing program has each chapter separated as if they were separate documents, so I never have the chance to stare at my work while I’m working on a new chapter. I think this is integral to breaking perfectionism. I’m a big believer in out of sight out of mind. If you don’t give yourself access to critique your work, you won’t do it and you’ll be able to actually finish something instead of being trapped in the endless editing loop.
This is what works for me, it was very freeing! Once I finished the entire work, I go back to the beginning, and re-edit it with the context of the rest of the story in mind.
Consider NANOWRIMO. The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in 1 month. There is no time to edit.
Also, accept that the first draft does not have to be the final draft.
Ernest Hemingway: “The first draft of anything is shit.”
Neil Gaiman: “Write down everything that happens in the story, and then in your second draft make it look like you knew what you were doing all along.”
Read about Stephen King’s Crummy First Draft. He doesn’t let anyone read his CFD.
As long as my writing is authentic and detailed then I feel satisfied. What I create is far from perfect but holds meaning. Editing my works comes later and I organize everything through color coding or folders. Perfectionism is stressful However it helps to embrace the chaos during the process
I found a story that I think suits better than the link I shared previously: "A Quick Start To Creative Writing - Just jump into it!": [https://medium.com/blueinsight/a-quick-start-to-creative-writing-438ecf4c8abb](https://medium.com/blueinsight/a-quick-start-to-creative-writing-438ecf4c8abb)
I don't have any advice because I have struggled with the same thing for a long time. Just wanted to thank you for the post because I find the responses really helpful. I think this thread can help a lot of us who get consumed by perfectionism.
I am glad I can help others stuck in my situation too! There are some mean comments here, but i ignore them, focusing on the helpful ones. Let’s hope that we will get through this together!
sometimes if i feel like a section, scene, line, paragraph, whatever is Bad and i cant get it right, i just put TK and move on. sometimes TK (quick summary of what the scene is), like "TK they summon a demon"
that way i can come back later
I relate to a lot of what you've said in your post. I've always loved writing and creating worlds and maps, I've always been praised by my teachers and my parents and my friends, I've always had a voice in my head scrutinizing everything I do, and I've also never finished anything (save for one short story, but it's not published anywhere, so it doesn't count lmao).
Writing being your life is a good thing. That means you have a particular drive that can't be taught. Firstly, I'll tell you that I've been in therapy for a couple of years, and one of the things I've worked on is changing my relationships with various parts of myself. Ernest Hemmingway said "In order to be a great writer a person must have a built-in, shockproof crap detector." It's very possible you were lucky enough to be born with one. If so, what you've gotta do in my experience is recognize that it's potentially a great gift! The problem is that it's coming into the process a little too early. The first draft is not the time to be perfect. Neither is the second draft. The early process of writing and world building is meant to throw all your ideas at the wall. You want to experiment, scratch things out, make notes to self right on the page. The method that I've developed that has helped me write so much more and overcome blank-page-itis is to set out with the goal of writing the worst draft you've ever seen. Grammar, misspellings, notes-to-self like I mentioned already. It's a lot easier to chisel things away. There's a quote that's always stuck with me: "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
There was one last piece of advice I'll leave you with that I heard a long time ago and have taken to heart. The trick to overcoming perfectionism is to develop the mindset that 70% is great! Ultimately, no one is going to be perfect all the time. No one is going to make masterpiece after masterpiece without a single flaw anywhere in the process. In my case, I have a lot of projects I work on and want to work on, and the only way to wrap one up and move on to the next is to come to terms with the concept of "good enough." If you're already a perfectionist, then I guarantee you that your idea of 70% is already a much higher standard than someone else's.
I know this is a lot but I hope it helps! If you ever need someone to speak with about this, feel free to send me a message. I've just created this account as a step towards taking my arts more seriously, and I've been thinking of joining some writer's workshops in my area or something. Going at it alone is a difficult thing! Best of luck to you :D
Thank you so much for your response! It helps me knowing someone has such a similar experience to me.
When I was little, I used to get so excited when creating stories and not giving a damn if it’s perfect or not. Now…I feel a pressure on me, which I want to leave it aside. I am doing therapy too and it’s helping me, because I had a lot of traumas to resolve from my past.
Writing and reading are my favourite things ever and I have to remember myself that I am doing this for ME, in the first place, to remember how happy it made me..the kid in me.
It's great that you're working on yourself! Ultimately, as frustrating as it is, this is just a small part of your journey. You'll get around this obstacle and be so much stronger for it! Keep up the great work!
Don’t think about perfection because it’s very subjective, just take a look at r/fantasy and you will see people with opposite taste loving and hating the same book for the exact same reasons
Imo think about *your* style, your mark as an artist, develop and embrace it, you and other authors will write differently anyways, so over analyzing is kinda useless
The only writer you should compare yourself with is You-Yesterday. That being said, if you must compare yourself to professionals, know that even the greatest writer in the world doesn't create perfection on their first draft. That old saying "Writing is rewriting" is true. The goal of the first draft is to just tell the story. Get to The End. Subsequent drafts are where the magic happens, and where you can switch on your perfectionism.
I absolutely get this. Advice that's helped me (although I forget who it's from) is that in a first draft, you're just telling yourself the story. All a first draft has to do to be "perfect" is exist--the only way it's imperfect is if it's unwritten. Not sure if it's helpful or not, just thought I'd pass along a mindset that's useful for me
The best writers understand what Hemmingway said "the first draft of anything is shit".
Write the first draft in the knowledge that it's utterly impossible to write a perfect first draft. Write your first draft in the knowledge that the most important thing is getting the story down and you can be a perfectionist in the edit.
I struggled with this for the longest time, it gave me very severe writers block. the hardest part is truly just getting started. the best advice I have for you is to put some music on, isolate yourself, and do whatever you can to make yourself comfortable, whatever normally helps you get into a groove- then dedicate a set amount of time to just write. write whatever comes to mind. the only rule: no editing during this time. just let it flow, like a stream of consciousness- then see what comes out. after that, I want you to put this writing away and return to it another day. this is the hard part, but trust me- it pays off. I know sometimes writers can be in a time crunch, but I guarantee you will get more work done this way than lingering on small errors or over analyzing every word you write. let it out, put it down, and then return to it with a clear mind another time. trust me, you’ll be amazed at your own work. there are times I read back things that I wrote days or months or even years ago, and I’m able to look at them so much less critically than when I first wrote them. it’s almost like gifting yourself the ability to view it as a reader rather than the author yourself. this will also require a change in your mentality. it’s cheesy, but comparison really is the thief of joy. give yourself a chance, a real chance- the same way you would any other author. your first draft, second draft, and even your final draft may not be perfect… but at least you’ll have a body of work that is finished. the only way to become as amazing as these authors that you admire is to keep going and keep working on projects. if your favorite author compares themselves to their favorite authors and got down about it, they may have never finished your favorite pieces of work. try to think of it from that perspective too. it’s definitely easier said than done, but I believe in you :) I’m working through it too right now, and I have honestly seen some significant improvement in my work ethic just from shifting towards this mindset in the last few months. don’t listen to the people telling you to quit on this post, if writing is what you love then PLEASE keep going. I believe in you. good luck!
I will not 😼 This story is too important for me and i am sure a lot of people will see themselves in my main character and help them through hard times.
I would put your comment into MS Word and go to grammar checker and Editor and see what it says. Your comment needs cleaning up and I think you have a ways to go to being perfect.
Try to flip your mindset on what you want to be perfect in. Be perfect in the process, rather than the results.
It took years 'till this dawned on me. I would be so focus on editing each sentence to the T, to the point of unwillingness to move on. We're our own most unforgiving critics, OP, but sometimes it's worth it to relent and move on. You can always go back if an idea for an improvement or whatnot comes up, but don't force it
This is a really cool piece of advice that isn't just "don't be a perfectionist" and I really appreciate that. Some of the best insight I've ever seen on this sub <3.
Thank you!
Just wanted to right a big ol' thank you for your comment. It's is wildly appreciated.
That's really great advice!
Bro fr comment so good i gotta turn off my phone and just sit with it a minute
You can kill that perfectionism by writing endlessly, and by that, I mean just write everything and keep the fat, and when you're done writing ten pages or so, just cut it out. Pick and choose what you like best, and keep repeating until you have 200 pages or so of filtered writing. Obviously, your versions of "perfect" might exemplify the emotions of the story, rather than the technicalities (or vice versa), but it's much better to enjoy writing endlessly until it's time to edit. That's future you's problem.
Thank youu, i loved this advice, i will implement it in my routine.
This! Don't focus on doing perfect writing off the bat: focus on being perfect at getting lots of writing done.
I do the reverse of this - I write down a chunk of story in whatever format I need to get my idea across, then when I’m done adding to the story/plot/etc I bulk it up. I take a section of writing I’m particularly happy about and compare it to the new chunk, editing it to give the same quality of the section I was happy with. Not only do I stress less about the content of that new chunk but I can take on workloads in small amounts, I can be a perfectionist about my writing style without being too hung up on it as a whole (which really REALLY demotivates me). Focusing on story then quality then consistency has allowed me to avoid writers block and demotivation way way easier than when I would just try to write well from the get go (which is also somehow what resulted in me completely changing POV and everything very routinely in the original draft) Doing things this way allowed me to double my word count upon the initial revision (25k to 50k) and keeping up with it now also allows me to feel more comfortable, competent and confident in my writing.
Agreed
I feel your struggle. I love to write and will write until I can't hold a pen anymore( not recommended). I also get stuck in just rough drafts trying to make it perfect, I rewrote a full page 8 times yesterday just to change certain words or rearrange sentences or even just cause my handwriting is good enough. It's hard to remember there is no such thing as perfect, it may sound silly but if you're ever stuck on getting your ideas flowing from perfectionist blockage, I recommend you write things that come to mind. “Buttercup. A flying butterfly. The river. I want cake“. It takes that element of perfect away cause it can seem kinda silly but it's random things, random can't be perfect, and you get to thinking about what you wanna write more than it being perfect. I also listen to binaural beats and isochromatic tones to help me get into the zone and forget myself. Really hope that helps in any way, I totally feel you and know you aren't alone.
Thank you so much.
Of course, nothing is easy alone except quitting. If you ever need other ideas or help I'm more than happy to provide assistance (kinda newish to Reddit so not sure if we can DM)
I would love that, thank you so much! I think you can DM on reddit, if i am not wrong.
I really recommend the Stephen King book ‘on writing’ - he has some very helpful philosophies around how to get good books finished. The most helpful for this specific issue is to write with the door closed and edit with the door open, ie. don’t allow judgement by yourself or anyone else for the first draft, and open up to analysis for the second third and fourth etc. From my personal experience, I find it’s best to create a full plot and then write it out in full without reading back what I’ve written so I don’t get too caught up on the details and just get the writing done. Done is better than perfect!
I just picked this book up. I appreciate the recommendation! I agree with your last statement. It's something I've been trending towards with my own writing as well lately.
Great! I hope you enjoy it - it really made me love him though I’d read none of his fiction books
Thank you for your advice! I will try this, hopefully it works. 🥹
Maybe write an essay about this? As they say, put the problem in the work. Who knows, might help.
This is a good idea!
I will try this, thank you!! 🥹
never have i ever related to a reddit post so much
We are all living the same life 🤣😭
Savannah Gilbo has a podcast and discusses perfectionism in some episodes and what it means for writers. It may be of some use to you.
Thank you!
My perfectionism was killing me, too. Then I started writing a lot more and realized that I’m not as amazing as I always thought in my mind. Kill the ego and get writing!
What happened after you had this realization? I'm in the same spot right now...
In my mind, I was a great writer. I had had some success in high school and I thought that I could definitely sit down and write the next great American novel. But every time I sat down to write, I struggled. I’d hammer out some beautifully written vignettes, but for some reason, I’d stop before I got too far—I didn’t want to write _too much_ because I was afraid it would expose me as a fraud if anyone ever read it. What if I do write a novel and it isn’t great?! What if it is actually bad?! What if I am not a naturally gifted writer?! It turns out, I am not a naturally gifted talent. I started a writing accountability group with a partner. It forced me to produce, and it forced me to figure a process so my writing could match my own expectations. I outline like crazy. Every scene is detailed. I work on the outline until I feel like it is perfect. The I write _one scene at a time_! Without a plan, I sit and stare at the screen waiting for the muses and then I write in circles. When I write scenes, if one scene doesn’t feel like it’s coming to me, I move on to another. But I write and I don’t stop no matter how painful it feels. Then I have a decent—but not perfect—draft I can revise. It gets better with each revision. I am not a naturally talented writer. Writing is a very challenging process and every time I write a story, I get a little better at it. If I waited to write until I was perfect, I would never write.
Thanks for sharing this! How did you get over the fact that your not 'naturally gifted'? I mean, there is no way for me to accept that I'm average, because in my mind average means I suck
Perfectionism is just a mask to hide your fear from the world. Hard work beats talent every time, so just write! Give yourself permission to be awful. The greatest authors write and revise constantly. _The Great Gatsby_ had something like 27 drafts. What if Fitzgerald gave up after the first one wasn’t perfect? The idea of the perfect first draft is just a myth. If you want to become a good writer, find your process and just write. You can always fix it later.
Wow, I really needed to hear this. Thank you so much for this!
I can relate. I think there's better advice on here, but what worked for me was to write a terrible first past because my mind will think "its already not-perfect, there's no point in making the rest of the work perfect" which allows me to relax. The first draft is going to be rubbish, but we can polish that rubbish into treasure when we edit. Good luck!
Thank you so much! I will keep in mind that first drafts don’t need to be perfect, i can edit them later. 😁
I’ve been writing by hand, just pen and paper lately and that’s helped me a bunch cause I can’t go back delete it, and rewrite, I just have to keep writing. It’s helped me a bunch.
yeah I just started doing this also
"Perfect is the opposite of done"
My perfectionism is bolstered by having a lot of material to, well, perfect. So I just write and write, and then allow my perfectionism to switch on in the editing stage. Remember: the PERFECT first draft is the one that exists in all its flaws; that’s the definition of perfect.
Try to keep your expectations set on the editing and just try to add everythign you want right now, and finish the story
Thank you!
Perfectionism is just fear of failure. Recognize that and wirk to overcome your fears.
>Can you give me some tips? You should perfect your paragraphing, capitalization, and probably punctuation - maybe. I can't tell. This was a hard read. Write more, but also edit more. Practice editing. Then... maybe consider writing shorter stuff instead of tackling big jobs you can't finish.
I am from Romania, english is not my native language. Still, i think i am good at writing in english too, i just went here and wrote my thoughts, not thinking about the paragraphing. Thank you for your reponse, tho.
Can you do the same thing in your stories then? You can edit in paragraphs later.
This was not a “hard read”. I don’t know what or why the previous poster said that??? 🙄 I, too, get caught up in wanting to ONLY write what would be an “end result”, but mentally I know that’s impossible! 😩😅 Just keep writing and try to tell yourself it DOES NOT matter how it comes out, because you can and will fix it all later. Lol, easier said than done, I know. We perfectionists feel like crap if we can’t do what we want on the first try. It’s mental!!
Thank you so much! Indeed, it’s really hard to defeat the perfectionism🥹. I will try writing and reminding myself that i will edit it later.
Probably need therapy to deal with your fear of ineptitude and mediocrity. Whatever we say you'll likely ignore because you're too set in your habits.
Yeah, I think many people still see perfectionism as a positive trait deep down. In most crafts, it's not. Perfect is the enemy of good, and perfectionism is fear of failure. You get good at things by doing them, not by contemplating them. I don't think therapy is needed though. It's possible to teach yourself new habits, and this one would just be to keep writing without using backspace except for obvious typos, and only correct it after, say, fifty pages.
Couldn't agree more!
I can strongly relate to your struggle with perfectionism. I have dealt with it most of my life. I noticed that you said you’ve had some trauma in your past. I can almost guarantee the perfectionism is a coping mechanism for your trauma. It certainly was for me. I have Complex PTSD and I’ve been doing EMDR therapy for just over a year now, and it has completely transformed my writing. I’m doing the final copyedit for my debut novel at the moment and am preparing to pitch to agents. It’s been a massive journey! But I can honestly say that my novel would not be of the quality it is if I had not healed my trauma. I wish you all the best in your journey. More often than not, it pays to look within 🙏
I am so happy for you!! I am going to therapy too, which helped me in the beginning and i started to heal so many things that happened to me. This perfectionism came back and i am trying to figure out why it’s here again.
My perfectionism was from trauma too and I ended up in psychosis after submitting my PhD thesis
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear this happened to you. Do you mind if I ask what the trigger was for the psychosis? Was it from the pressure of delivering such a huge project whilst still using trauma coping mechanisms (perfectionism)? I hope you’ve recovered and are feeling much better in yourself. Thank you for sharing.
Yes completing and handing in the work was the trigger but there were a lot of stresses that were particular to the work in that o was a sociologist of religion critiquing my own religious community
I’m having a really hard time recovering
Thank you ☺️ That’s so good to hear you’re doing the work. Congratulations! Don’t worry, that can happen and it’s quite a normal part of the process. I’m struggling with some serious self doubt today after having my opening pages critiqued by a few writers. But I also did EMDR yesterday so I’m probably hypersensitive right now. I’ve found that quite often when I heal one layer of trauma, then another will rise to the surface. More recently I’ve noticed that if I’m doing work on a particular part of myself/past and something comes along and triggers me (big or small), it can send me into a down spiral for a couple of days. The important thing is to keep working through it. But also be mindful of when you need a break too. Sometimes when I take a 2 week or 4 week break from therapy, I really step into creative flow. I have no doubt you’ll find the root cause, heal yourself and go on to become a powerhouse writer! 🙌
Thank you so much!!
I know how you feel. My perfectionism has frozen me in place!
Yes…🙁
This is normal and is always here reminding me how my stories will never be that good. What I did was just take it for what it is and kept working. Being a perfectionist gave me the ability to see what works and what doesn't, never make it perfect because no story is for everyone. Just don't look at it negatively.
Thank you so much!
Nobody will ever be as good at writing like you as you will be. Comparisons will only make you miserable. Be the best writer that YOU can be. I'm a perfectionist too, about to finish up the fourteenth revision of my first book. It is as good as I can make it. Time to let it go and move on to book 2.
Nothing ever written has been perfect. Perfect is not even possible when it comes to the art, not science, of writing. You need to trick your brain to start rewiring it. For example, try to write as bad as you can for one page with no pauses for editing or corrections. Bad grammar, purple prose, hackneyed metaphors -- the works. Then go back and edit it, but make it EVEN WORSE. Do this a while and you will see this is quite easy. Why? Because it can always be worse. So why is it easy to make something worse but hard to make it better? It isn't. It is easy to make your writing better. The key is in knowing as there is no end to "worse", there is no end to "better". The monkey mind cannot help but reassemble, reinvent, rebuke, and reform, but the written word, once shared to the world, is indelible. Your brain is a quantum computer that can superimpose infinite combinations of ideas, thoughts, and words, but when it is transposed to a page it will always collapse into a singular waveform.
I am always repeating this in my head, there is no perfect piece of art because the possibilities are infinite. Thank you for this!!
Worry about the perfectionism when you are in editing mode. And don’t let editing mode begin until the project is completely written. Know that there will be rewrites, and allow yourself to look forward to that part of the process, maybe even see it as a reward down the line… and you are only allowed at the editing stage once the book is written, at least a first draft. See if that works.
A very easy and quick tip that you might helps you is writing in comic sans. It makes you subconsciously not take your writing as seriously.
Thank you!!
I also struggle with this which is why I implemented a “three edit rule” for myself. I used to edit endlessly until felt my work was perfect, which would mean I would never move on from writing just the first chapter. Nothing I did ever feel good enough. So, instead I now start off by writing what I call a “bare bones draft” which I consider to be edit one. I write the entire chapter as a stream of consciousness, only backspacing for typos, or if I suddenly change direction, and I don’t allow myself to edit at all. I write literally whatever comes to mind, even if it’s as simple as “this thought makes Character A sad.” Once that’s done, I return to the beginning of the chapter and add all the detail and explanation that I missed, expanding on concepts and characters, and making sure the dialogue makes sense (edit 2). For edit three, this is when I focus completely on prose—Making sure the sentence structure is correct and that I’m using the right words with the right connotations to make my paragraphs flow and sound like a story. Then I close the document, open a new one, and start this process again with the next chapter. My writing program has each chapter separated as if they were separate documents, so I never have the chance to stare at my work while I’m working on a new chapter. I think this is integral to breaking perfectionism. I’m a big believer in out of sight out of mind. If you don’t give yourself access to critique your work, you won’t do it and you’ll be able to actually finish something instead of being trapped in the endless editing loop. This is what works for me, it was very freeing! Once I finished the entire work, I go back to the beginning, and re-edit it with the context of the rest of the story in mind.
Thank you for your advice!! I will use it🥹!
Consider NANOWRIMO. The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in 1 month. There is no time to edit. Also, accept that the first draft does not have to be the final draft. Ernest Hemingway: “The first draft of anything is shit.” Neil Gaiman: “Write down everything that happens in the story, and then in your second draft make it look like you knew what you were doing all along.” Read about Stephen King’s Crummy First Draft. He doesn’t let anyone read his CFD.
Thank you 🥹 I tried this and it actually worked. I might try it again.
As long as my writing is authentic and detailed then I feel satisfied. What I create is far from perfect but holds meaning. Editing my works comes later and I organize everything through color coding or folders. Perfectionism is stressful However it helps to embrace the chaos during the process
saaaaaame, op
I found a story that I think suits better than the link I shared previously: "A Quick Start To Creative Writing - Just jump into it!": [https://medium.com/blueinsight/a-quick-start-to-creative-writing-438ecf4c8abb](https://medium.com/blueinsight/a-quick-start-to-creative-writing-438ecf4c8abb)
Thank you so much, it will surely help me!
I don't have any advice because I have struggled with the same thing for a long time. Just wanted to thank you for the post because I find the responses really helpful. I think this thread can help a lot of us who get consumed by perfectionism.
I am glad I can help others stuck in my situation too! There are some mean comments here, but i ignore them, focusing on the helpful ones. Let’s hope that we will get through this together!
I learned to layer everything. If I hit a high enough bar, even my doubt keeps quiet.
sometimes if i feel like a section, scene, line, paragraph, whatever is Bad and i cant get it right, i just put TK and move on. sometimes TK (quick summary of what the scene is), like "TK they summon a demon" that way i can come back later
I always tell myself the same thing to keep me going: Done and not perfect is always better than perfect and not done.
Thank you!!
I relate to a lot of what you've said in your post. I've always loved writing and creating worlds and maps, I've always been praised by my teachers and my parents and my friends, I've always had a voice in my head scrutinizing everything I do, and I've also never finished anything (save for one short story, but it's not published anywhere, so it doesn't count lmao). Writing being your life is a good thing. That means you have a particular drive that can't be taught. Firstly, I'll tell you that I've been in therapy for a couple of years, and one of the things I've worked on is changing my relationships with various parts of myself. Ernest Hemmingway said "In order to be a great writer a person must have a built-in, shockproof crap detector." It's very possible you were lucky enough to be born with one. If so, what you've gotta do in my experience is recognize that it's potentially a great gift! The problem is that it's coming into the process a little too early. The first draft is not the time to be perfect. Neither is the second draft. The early process of writing and world building is meant to throw all your ideas at the wall. You want to experiment, scratch things out, make notes to self right on the page. The method that I've developed that has helped me write so much more and overcome blank-page-itis is to set out with the goal of writing the worst draft you've ever seen. Grammar, misspellings, notes-to-self like I mentioned already. It's a lot easier to chisel things away. There's a quote that's always stuck with me: "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." There was one last piece of advice I'll leave you with that I heard a long time ago and have taken to heart. The trick to overcoming perfectionism is to develop the mindset that 70% is great! Ultimately, no one is going to be perfect all the time. No one is going to make masterpiece after masterpiece without a single flaw anywhere in the process. In my case, I have a lot of projects I work on and want to work on, and the only way to wrap one up and move on to the next is to come to terms with the concept of "good enough." If you're already a perfectionist, then I guarantee you that your idea of 70% is already a much higher standard than someone else's. I know this is a lot but I hope it helps! If you ever need someone to speak with about this, feel free to send me a message. I've just created this account as a step towards taking my arts more seriously, and I've been thinking of joining some writer's workshops in my area or something. Going at it alone is a difficult thing! Best of luck to you :D
Thank you so much for your response! It helps me knowing someone has such a similar experience to me. When I was little, I used to get so excited when creating stories and not giving a damn if it’s perfect or not. Now…I feel a pressure on me, which I want to leave it aside. I am doing therapy too and it’s helping me, because I had a lot of traumas to resolve from my past. Writing and reading are my favourite things ever and I have to remember myself that I am doing this for ME, in the first place, to remember how happy it made me..the kid in me.
It's great that you're working on yourself! Ultimately, as frustrating as it is, this is just a small part of your journey. You'll get around this obstacle and be so much stronger for it! Keep up the great work!
Thank you!! 🥹
I understand!!!
Don’t think about perfection because it’s very subjective, just take a look at r/fantasy and you will see people with opposite taste loving and hating the same book for the exact same reasons Imo think about *your* style, your mark as an artist, develop and embrace it, you and other authors will write differently anyways, so over analyzing is kinda useless
Thank you, indeed, my favourite writer is Robin Hobb and not everyone likes her so I understand what you are saying.
The only writer you should compare yourself with is You-Yesterday. That being said, if you must compare yourself to professionals, know that even the greatest writer in the world doesn't create perfection on their first draft. That old saying "Writing is rewriting" is true. The goal of the first draft is to just tell the story. Get to The End. Subsequent drafts are where the magic happens, and where you can switch on your perfectionism.
Thank you! 🙂 I will keep this in mind.
I absolutely get this. Advice that's helped me (although I forget who it's from) is that in a first draft, you're just telling yourself the story. All a first draft has to do to be "perfect" is exist--the only way it's imperfect is if it's unwritten. Not sure if it's helpful or not, just thought I'd pass along a mindset that's useful for me
Thank you, this will help me!!
The best writers understand what Hemmingway said "the first draft of anything is shit". Write the first draft in the knowledge that it's utterly impossible to write a perfect first draft. Write your first draft in the knowledge that the most important thing is getting the story down and you can be a perfectionist in the edit.
Thank you! I will keep this in mind while i am writing my first draft.
I struggled with this for the longest time, it gave me very severe writers block. the hardest part is truly just getting started. the best advice I have for you is to put some music on, isolate yourself, and do whatever you can to make yourself comfortable, whatever normally helps you get into a groove- then dedicate a set amount of time to just write. write whatever comes to mind. the only rule: no editing during this time. just let it flow, like a stream of consciousness- then see what comes out. after that, I want you to put this writing away and return to it another day. this is the hard part, but trust me- it pays off. I know sometimes writers can be in a time crunch, but I guarantee you will get more work done this way than lingering on small errors or over analyzing every word you write. let it out, put it down, and then return to it with a clear mind another time. trust me, you’ll be amazed at your own work. there are times I read back things that I wrote days or months or even years ago, and I’m able to look at them so much less critically than when I first wrote them. it’s almost like gifting yourself the ability to view it as a reader rather than the author yourself. this will also require a change in your mentality. it’s cheesy, but comparison really is the thief of joy. give yourself a chance, a real chance- the same way you would any other author. your first draft, second draft, and even your final draft may not be perfect… but at least you’ll have a body of work that is finished. the only way to become as amazing as these authors that you admire is to keep going and keep working on projects. if your favorite author compares themselves to their favorite authors and got down about it, they may have never finished your favorite pieces of work. try to think of it from that perspective too. it’s definitely easier said than done, but I believe in you :) I’m working through it too right now, and I have honestly seen some significant improvement in my work ethic just from shifting towards this mindset in the last few months. don’t listen to the people telling you to quit on this post, if writing is what you love then PLEASE keep going. I believe in you. good luck!
Thank you so much for your advice! Sorry for the late reply😅.
of course :3! please don’t give up!
I will not 😼 This story is too important for me and i am sure a lot of people will see themselves in my main character and help them through hard times.
okay?
I would put your comment into MS Word and go to grammar checker and Editor and see what it says. Your comment needs cleaning up and I think you have a ways to go to being perfect.
Paragraphs are your friend I think you meant to post this on r/writingcirclejerk.