Thank You Kill Zone for Reading My Mind

I was going to write a post today about how my internal editor is KILLING ME. Every time I sit down to start writing, I try to refresh myself by reading what I'd written in my previous writing session. 

Then it starts.

Oh, that doesn't flow very well. Let's just fix that. Hmm, that doesn't really make sense right there, I'll just move it back a few pages. Oh, wait, where was I again? Oh, crap. I already said that a few sentences back, better cut that...

And on and on it goes, until I've wasted that very small chunk of time (when my kids are sleeping or not trying to kill each other) that I had planned to use writing.

Enter Kill Zone, where author Joe Moore has given us a post entitled "It's Perfect. Now Make It Perfecter." on the ill-effects of perfectionism. I mean, his post title alone sent me into full body convulsions. MUST FIX "PERFECTER". GAHHH!

Joe says, "First, you must convince yourself that NOTHING is perfect, especially when it comes to writing fiction. Now I’m not talking about spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax. Those are the rules of writing just like the speed limit and stop lights are the rules of the road. But those rules have NOTHING to do with perfection, only correctness. Perfection is a mental concept. It can never be achieved. There will always be room for improvement.

Next, you must allow yourself to write less-than-perfect prose the first time with the understanding that it's more important to tell the story."

I should have this quote tattooed on my body somewhere, because it would be helpful to be reminded of this advice EVERY SINGLE DAY. 

What about you? Are you beaten down by your perfectionism?

Thanks, Joe. I needed this today :)