Hi Leigh, sorry to bother you. I have a question about writing. Authors always say that for the first draft of a story you just want to get your ideas on paper and throw perfection to the wind. Well, I have a really hard time with that. I can't even get a

Here are some thoughts:

1. Have you read this quote by Ira Glass? When you walk into a bookstore or pick up a favorite read, you need to remember that NONE of them are first drafts. Don’t compare your first draft to those finished works.

2. Don’t fight the critic in your head. When it kicks in with “not good enough, not smart enough, not funny enough,” just agree and move on—”You’re right, this is dreck, but no one’s ever going to see it.”

3. Let go of the idea that this book is The Book. If you’re writing your first book, then take the pressure off of yourself and just accept that this book may just be a warm up. You’ll write a book and you’ll see if you want to rewrite it or move on to another project, but you’ll have the confidence of knowing that you have FINISHED A BOOK. We invest so much in our work, but it’s important that we invest the right things. Ambition—This will be it! The book that makes my career! The book that sells for a million doubloons!—can strangle creativity. So try to invest excitement and curiosity and passion instead.

4. Type faster than you think. I know that sounds crazy, but when I get stuck I just start typing whatever I’m thinking. I type the questions and frustrations in my head. Sometimes I’m not so much writing a scene as describing it to myself (“This is the moment when X will happen and then Y. But how??”)

5. Don’t read reviews. They strengthen the critical voice in your head.

6. Feel free to ignore all of this. Every writer’s process is different. I’ve spoken to authors who start each day by rereading and editing everything they wrote the day before. This would be a nightmare for me, but it works for them. Figuring out what works for you is a process of trial and error, but once you find that process, respect it and don’t worry about what anyone else is doing.

Hope this helps and good luck in your work!