Pithy Prose #4 - Anne Lamott

From one of my favorite books on writing, Bird by Bird, Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott:

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.

I admire those who can turn off their internal critics and just write that first draft, unfettered by expectations. I'm working on attaining that kind of freedom in my writing. It sounds like bliss.