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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/45362
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

My first instinct was to tell you to write the "good" story first. After all, you'll definitely need to rewrite, so there's no reason you can't practice on something you're really enthusiastic about. (After all, what does it mean to "save" an idea?) **But I've changed my mind.** Trying to write the "perfect" story can really get in your way, especially as a beginner. Writing a bunch of stuff you're not as emotionally committed to might be the better way to get in the habit of writing. There's some evidence that [striving for quantity](https://excellentjourney.net/2015/03/04/art-fear-the-ceramics-class-and-quantity-before-quality/) in artistic output actually leads to better quality than striving for quality.

I've found that approach useful personally. I spent the last year or so writing some more commercial, mainstream-oriented projects that weren't as substantial, and that were just "fun" to work on. **That got me out of my goal-focused state and more into just embracing the process of writing**. Now that I've gone back and taken on a project I've been thinking about for 15 years, I feel much more ready to do it justice without getting bogged down by my own expectations.

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