Perfectionism

[Maddox]

The biggest thing holding my writing back is perfectionism. My story will be flowing fine until I come to a part where I can't find quite the right word or phrase, and I will agonize over it instead of moving on and writing the rest of the scene.

"The perfect is the enemy of the good"

Does any one else have this problem? Any tips on getting over it?

[Tarot]

Ah, the quest for the mot juste. There's nothing inherently wrong about your mindset. It all depends on what you're looking to get out of your writing.

However, if you really want to tame your inner editor, you should try NaNoWriMo next November, if you aren't already doing it. Its philosophy is "the good is the enemy of the fast", and that sounds like a good change of pace for you. Quite a few Mizaharians are NaNoers, myself included, and we encourage people to write Miza-based novels should they feel like it (they can also get canonized if they respect our lore).

I've learned to just ride the writing through the rough parts. I am guilty of horrible repetitions and a few weird-sounding sentences, but then again I write more for the story than for the stylistic exercise. Moving the story forward is my reward, and I can make sacrifices to that end. Needless to say, your mileage may vary, but you might want to consider what you consider to be rewarding about the act of writing and focus your mind on reaching that state when you write.

[Gossamer]

I'm more guilty of wanting to please the reader or in Mizahar's case, the person I'm threading with as a mod. I think sometimes my story looses its voice because of that need. Its almost writer co-dependency. But I've gotten better in the past little bit, trying not to make it so 'easy' on folks when they make glaring mistakes or overlook details. My hints have grown more subtle and my style more wordy.

But I do understand what you mean about perfect. My particular brand of perfection in regards to a PC is really nailing their voice perfectly. I hate it when I am writing for a PC and that need comes out. I have to start thinking more like 'PC X' rather than Jen and it does become annoying.

I second the recommendation for NaNoWriMo.

[Satu]

*Raises hand. Guilty!

I am guilty of that too. I am one of those people that writing does not come easily to. So I edit and re-edit and re-edit my posts about 500 times, to get the right words down that make sense and flow together. It's hard not to get bogged down and it really slows me up.

But like Jen and Tarot have suggested, I am also planning on joining the NaNoWriMo writing family this November. I'm hoping it helps me too!

[Leviathan]

Hey Guys, just doing a little thread stalking here.
Until I saw this, I have never heard of NaNoWriMo, but I think I will also give it a shot. I don't know much about it, but the website can surely fix that for me.

Obviously though, I have some troubles with writing as well. Even though I can manage to write even when my posts make me dread every trying to roleplay at times, there are times I feel like I do well. Perhaps this is different then what everyone else is talking about, but my consistency of writing is consistently inconsistent. I can't often manage the same size and quality of posts each time, which is something I always strive for, and beat myself up for when I don't.

thanks Tarot for putting that little link there, I have a feeling it will help me out a ton.

[Maddox]

I can't often manage the same size and quality of posts each time, which is something I always strive for, and beat myself up for when I don't.

That's pretty much the same thing that happens to me. Sometimes everything just flows and the section seems to take care of writing itself, and other times I need to pore over every word to get it up to snuff. I've been making myself write something every single day, but it's really hard to turn off that 'inner editor' sometimes.

I'd heard of NaNoWriMo before, and I think I will try it this year. It could be just the thing I need...