Let’s face it — we all have it. Maybe we even need it to write well. But perfectionism can turn writing into a painful struggle. It can make it hard to get something down on the page and turn editing into a confusing hack-fest. We probably can’t control how we think, but we can adopt practices that help us outrun our perfectionism and edit effectively by getting quiet and listening to our intuition. Writing coach Mary Allen offers concrete advice and tips about how to outrun perfectionism and edit peacefully, calmly, and successfully.

Mary Allen is the author of a literary memoir, The Rooms of Heaven, and a collection of personal essays, The Deep Limitless Air: A Memoir in Pieces. She has a regular blog on the Psychology Today website and has widely published short work. She is a full-time writing coach.