Don't stand in your way: Don't let your inner struggle keep you from writing!

I give you permission to suck.

No, really. Quit staring at the blank screen and just start typing. Whatever will do, I'll wait.

Are you still staring at a blank screen? I'm going to go over a few reasons that you might be and some methods to jump these hurdles. We'll start by tackling an easy three: fear, perfectionism, and low self-esteem.

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, "Only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He was a smart man. But to overcome your fear, first you have to identify your fear. You aren't scared? Are you sure? Have you revised a section of your work for the billionth time? That may be fear talking. Do you keep putting off that book in favor of other things? Like watching that TV show you've seen like 20 times? You might have fear on the line.

That isn't enough to keep the vampire you call perfectionism at bay. You gave yourself permission to suck but do you ever really listen to yourself? To get this monkey off your back, you have to do more. Being part of a writing community could be a huge help. People that you can show your work to and ask if you are being too hard. Because you are too close to it to accurately judge. The flaws you see are glaring but are they really the crater-sized potholes that you are envisioning? Probably not.

If that one didn't kill you, this one certainly will. Publish it. Wait there's more. Publish it...even when it isn't perfect. Do you need to run and get a paper bag to breath in? Then you definitely need to do this. If you are caused distress by the thought of publishing something that you don't define as perfect, that is the very reason you need to do it. You are poisoning your own well because nothing will ever be perfect.

The final reason we will discuss today. Self-esteem. It is the rejection before you get the rejection. It has more than likely derailed more novels than any other reason out there. There is no easy fix for this. If your self-esteem issues are externally caused, avoiding the catalyst is an easy fix. Really, part of being a writer is acknowledging your own self-worth and the worth of the words you write. At some point, before committing words to a page, you must have thought that they were worthy of being heard. Run with that. Practice. Surround yourself with people that bring you up rather than tear you down. Most of all, believe in them.

There are many things outside of yourself that can stop you from writing. Don't defeat yourself before you have a chance to succeed.