You know, I just needed to tell someone this, maybe you can give me some advice. I write fic too, but I only write in Portuguese because I don’t trust my ability to write full texts in English :(
But I’ve noticed a lot of progress over time. When I was younger, I could barely write a paragraph in thirty minutes. Nowadays I’ve definitely improved, but along with that came perfectionism. I always end up with three drafts of each chapter from different stories, and sometimes when I post something and reread it a few days later, I think it’s awful and start rewriting it again. So I never manage to have a final version, because my mind keeps coming up with new, amazing scenes I could have added.
In the end, my readers kind of suffer, because I disappear and stop updating whenever my brain just gets tired. Have you ever gone through something like that? I honestly don’t know what to do anymoreeeeeee ;(
Hi, nonnie!! Talking about life in general, I have def struggled with perfectionism. I really try not to be a perfectionist at all in my hobbies. Still, sometimes, these ways of thinking do creep in, and it can be paralyzing. I have plenty of fics I've never posted.
perfectionism / analysis paralysis
Try controlling when and how much you re-read your fics. Maybe you draft it, wait a few days (easier said than done), re-read it once, and do one revision before posting.
There's something about posting that makes you look at it differently than when it's in draft form and see things you might not have seen. You can try to emulate this effect by changing the fic to a different font/appearance before you edit, or saving it as a draft in AO3 before re-reading.
Give yourself a break. If you think what you're re-reading is bad, what are you comparing it to? The version in your head? With practice, we will continue to improve and grow at translating what's in our heads into words.
What if, instead of rewriting things, you made a few notes about how you would change it. You could also see if the alternate idea inspires you on something else (or if there's a different way to use it in your story).
From a reader's perspective: If I'm really into something and want more, I'm not expecting the best possible version. I just want the thing. I wouldn't even know what the best possible version is! Because that's all in the creator's mind.
From a casual writer's perspective: There are always gonna be things I could have done better. If I decide to do a different version later for myself, no one's stopping me from doing that. It's not an emergency. I can let this one exist as-is.
BTW your english is perfect. But also, non-native speakers often have the most beautiful ways of putting things into words, in all honesty. They aren't stuck in a certain way of hearing things.
Hope something helps! Maybe check out the book "Too Perfect" if you tend to obsess over things in general. Ty for the ask! 🖤
