How to avoid perfectionism in writing

Stop overthinking and start writing.

Perfectionism is complicated when it comes to writing. It’s obviously important to create a manuscript that you’re proud of, with any errors, mistakes and inconsistencies ironed out. Today I want to talk to you about how you can avoid perfectionism in writing, because it’s one of the biggest barriers to completing your writing project.

I’ve got some general ideas and some practical tips you can use to help too.

First draft mentality

You have to embrace a first draft mentality to prevent editing and seeking perfection too soon. You have to. It’s one of the most important pieces of advice that I will regularly give to writers.

Your first draft is essentially your way to get your plot down into a formal, extended piece of writing. It is NOT your finished manuscript that you immediately ship off to publishers having typed out your final sentence. You need to write freely, and expect to be doing a lot of editing and rewriting once the first draft is complete.

Why should you not edit as you go? …