Writing Fear Free: Expecting Too Much Too Soon

At some point in the writing process, most people go through a period when they think one or more of the following:

I am the worst writer in the world.
This is the worst book in the world.
I should probably give up and become a cowgirl.

I hit this point in the writing process this weekend, and I realized that these feelings were largely due to the fact that I was expecting too much too soon.

Now, maybe all writers aren't like me, but my writing process relies heavily on editing. By the time my novel is finished, it will have gone through seven or more drafts. I'm currently on draft three, but I was expecting it to be perfect.

So I'm writing this to remind all you writers to ask yourself good questions when you start to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Where are you in the process? Are you expecting too much too soon?

Just take a little break. Time away will give you a fresh perspective, and when you come back, you will have a better sense of what you should be expecting at that particular stage of your writing process.