perfectionism
FeaturedKeep writing
Your draft is not the published book on your shelf
You are measuring a rough first draft against a book that survived years of rewrites and editors. Here is why that comparison fails, and what to measure your pages against instead.5 min read
Keep writing
What to do when your draft reads worse than you remembered
Your draft looks flatter after a break and your confidence has sunk with it. Here is why that happens, and how to read cold, sort the problems, and decide what to do before touching a line.5 min read
Keep writing
Rewriting the same paragraph for an hour is not writing
Polishing the same sentence for an hour feels like progress, but it rarely is. Here's how to tell real revision from stalling, and a rule for moving past it.4 min read
Keep writing
Give yourself permission to write badly today
Bad pages aren't a warning sign, they're what a first draft is supposed to look like. A concrete way to keep writing through the days your prose isn't working, instead of quietly stopping.4 min read
Keep writing
The messy first fifty pages are supposed to be messy
You don't know what your book is about until you've written the whole thing, so polishing chapter one for the fifth time isn't craft. It's stalling. Here's the fix.5 min read
Keep writing
Why your work-in-progress folder is full of half-finished projects
Starting a new novel feels like progress. It rarely is. A clear-eyed way to tell which stalled draft deserves a second chance, and how to pick just one to finish.4 min read
Keep writing
Why finishing chapter one twice is not wasted time
You've rewritten chapter one twice mid-draft and it feels like failure. It isn't. Here's why revising your opening is normal, and when to stop and write forward instead.5 min read
Keep writing
Writer’s block and burnout are not the same problem
Block and burnout produce the same symptom: an empty document you’re not opening. They come from opposite directions and need opposite responses entirely.4 min read
Guide
What literary agents actually mean by 'not right for my list'
A form rejection isn't a verdict on your manuscript. Here's what agent phrases like 'not right for my list' really signal, and when to actually revise.5 min read