How NaNoWriMo Helped Me Overcome Perfectionism

How has NaNoWriMo changed your life? Today, writer and editor Sarah Howard reveals how NaNoWriMo helped her escape perfectionism and learn to put words on a page:

I am a writer.

I am also a recovering perfectionist.

You can probably sense this was not a good combination. I had trouble starting projects because I wanted perfect ideas. I had trouble finishing projects because they didn’t live up to my expectations. And even when I did have a finished piece, it never felt good enough to let anyone read. It’s so hard to break these patterns, especially when they’ve been going on forever. But National Novel Writing Month helped me do it.