Perfectionism paralysis may appear in a variety of ways, including: never got around to starting. Having an idea but never writing it down. Always take notes, but never transform them into a finished piece. Stuck on a single word, phrase, or paragraph. Getting stuck in a loop where you fix one problem only to make another one appear. The most common form of perfectionism paralysis is the inability to start anything. You have an amazing idea for a story or novel and can't bring yourself to write it down because you know it's not perfect yet. You fear that if you put your own thoughts onto paper they will be judged as poor quality compared with what else is out there. Or maybe you just don't want other people to see what you think of as a weak imagination. Other forms of perfectionism paralysis include: never getting around to finishing something you started. This could be as simple as writing a first draft of a paper and then leaving it at that. More commonly, it involves spending hours each day playing video games or browsing Facebook, and then complaining that you haven't written anything even though you've still been using those tools. Paralysis from over-analysis occurs when you try to analyze every aspect of your work before starting. This includes thinking through all possible plot twists, characters' motivations, and different ways of saying the same thing.