Writing Imperfectly
The first step in writing is giving ourselves permission to write imperfectly. First attempts aren’t perfect, and that’s okay.
People often tell me that they would like to write but don’t know how to start. Others may be making plans but hesitate to move forward to the actually writing. My response is to write what they can at the time, even if that writing is in fragments.
When we have words on paper, we can add, edit, reorder, question ourselves, delete–all of which can be productive steps toward reaching our writing goal. I often tell my tutoring students and others who dream of writing that we can improve writing that is on paper. Giving ourselves permission to write imperfectly comes first.