Perfectionism in writing is one of the hardest things to overcome. Especially once an author has gotten further along in their manuscript and looks back at their older writing. Yikes! When I wrote A Soul Made of Cinders, my debut novel, I looked back at the first few chapters and considered seriously rewriting them. I felt that I had reached a point where my descriptions were smoother and less clumsy, my dialogue fresher. Yet, when I opened a new document to attempt a rewrite, I discovered that it read nearly the same! Frustrated, I googled various things about authors being unhappy with their manuscript, and discovered a piece of advice that has saved many future manuscripts.

After writing, sit back and leave it alone for a week. When you think your writing feels awkward or clumsy, it will read that way to you. It’s important to give your brain time to drop the assumptions about your novel, so you can read it with fresh eyes. After a few months, I did rewrite a few quick scenes, but I found that I was happy with things that I cringed over initially.

It’s unfair to expect your debut novel to read like a bestselling author’s work, or even the second or third. What is important is to get yourself out there, work on your foundation of writing, and build additional skills overtime. The truth is that it’s unlikely you will ever be 100% satisfied with your writing. You’ll learn new tricks over time, and improve with every word you write. Instead of giving up because there are people who are doing better, remember that everybody had to start somewhere. It’s those who never try that are doomed to fail.