I have a hard time loosening up and writing freely. Some days are harder than others, and today is one of those days when it is almost impossible to send thoughts from my brain through my fingers onto the page. I second-guess every idea. My backspace key is getting quite a workout.
I think this struggle is related to perfectionism. I like everything to be perfect, so it’s hard to push myself when things don’t feel right. I should be inspired by today’s date to be a little foolish and let myself make mistakes.
I think this struggle is related to perfectionism. I like everything to be perfect, so it’s hard to push myself when things don’t feel right. I should be inspired by today’s date to be a little foolish and let myself make mistakes.
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I hear ya! One of the things I've learnt is that a first draft is never perfect. While it's good to have high standards, even for first drafts, sometimes getting the basic thoughts down on paper is the thing.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I do, often, is to randomly write. That is, create a new document, turn to a blank page in my notebook, etc, and just start writing. Sometimes I get really good ideas from my doodles, but more importantly, it usually frees up the brain to do its creative thang.
Might work for you, might not. But if you haven't tried something like that already, it's probably not a bad idea to give it a wee go and see what happens :)
Thanks for the suggestion. That's something I should do more often, but I always feel silly, at least at first.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed when I read your blog how quickly you are able to write, and how many different projects you are able to work on at the same time. I think that is something else I should try--alternating between projects so when I get stuck on one it might feel easier to work on the other.