I have a problem, and I think it’s called perfectionism. I’ve been working on a comparative essay for my literature class for about a week now. The research is done, my outline is solid, and I know exactly what points I want to make. But I am trapped in an infinite loop with the introduction.
I wrote a version yesterday. Hated it. Deleted it. Wrote a new one this morning. It was okay, but the transition between the hook and the thesis felt "clunky."
So I spent two hours tweaking three sentences. I finally thought I had it, but then I read it out loud and the rhythm was off. Now it's 4 PM, I have a headache, and I'm back to square one. 
It’s like my brain won't let me move forward until that first page is absolutely perfect. I know the advice is always "just write a crappy first draft and fix it later," but my brain physically recoils at the thought of writing something subpar. It feels like I'm building a house on a shaky foundation if the intro isn't right.
Anyone else have this mental block? How do you force yourself to just... move on? I need a strategy to break this cycle because I'm running out of time and sanity.
I wrote a version yesterday. Hated it. Deleted it. Wrote a new one this morning. It was okay, but the transition between the hook and the thesis felt "clunky."
So I spent two hours tweaking three sentences. I finally thought I had it, but then I read it out loud and the rhythm was off. Now it's 4 PM, I have a headache, and I'm back to square one. It’s like my brain won't let me move forward until that first page is absolutely perfect. I know the advice is always "just write a crappy first draft and fix it later," but my brain physically recoils at the thought of writing something subpar. It feels like I'm building a house on a shaky foundation if the intro isn't right.
Anyone else have this mental block? How do you force yourself to just... move on? I need a strategy to break this cycle because I'm running out of time and sanity.