I give myself permission to suck

So, this past week has been a learning experience. I've not even attempted to open any of my projects, fan or otherwise. Instead, I devoted my time to tinkering with this totally random new thing I came up with on the fly. And do you know why that is?

Because I have given myself permission to suck.

When I quit college, I was dealing with some stuff. I wasn't sure if it was the right decision, wasn't sure I wouldn't regret it later, but I knew I couldn't keep on like I was. I think part of the reason I threw myself so hard into this whole writing thing was to alleviate these feelings of failure. I'm not by nature a quitter, so giving it up was kinda hard.

But by doing that, I was kinda shooting myself in the foot. It wasn't fun anymore. Writing had become more like a chore. Then I actually started writing fanfic for the first time, and had a blast. (Okay, after I got over the whole incest thing I had a blast.) It seems really simple, doesn't it? Doing things that are fun make them easier to do.

You would think it wouldn't take me so long to arrive at this conclusion, but if I have one major flaw (*snort* yeah, right, only one) it's that I tend to think I know everything. And, if I do say so myself, not entirely unjustly. I'm pretty smart in general and pretty self-aware for my age. That said, my age is only twenty. There is a lot I don't know.

All of these things have resulted in me adding another sticky to my self-help notes. Now, next to "Forget epic, just write" and "Show, don't tell" I have added another one.

It says "I give myself permission to suck." I grin every time I see it.