I hear you. I think another danger for writers is the curse of thinking that every piece has to be absolutely perfect. That if it’s not some type of glistening gem, that it should be jettisoned. The truth is, perfection is almost impossible — in life, in writing, in any type of creative endeavor.

I could pour my heart and soul into the most triumphant 3,000 word essay that has ever been created. Someone else comes along with a slightly different mindset and thinks “Well, it’s pretty good, but he could have added this, and changed this, and removed this.” I thought it was perfect, someone else didn’t. Neither of us is right or wrong, it’s just differing perspectives.

That’s why we need to balance the time and energy we spend creating with what we want the result to be. What you write, and wherever you write from, it’s never going to appeal to everyone. Instead, it’s about getting it as good as you can, with the time and energy you have. There comes a time in the creative process where diminishing returns become like Sisyphus and his boulder.

You’re doing it in the right way though. Taking the frustration and the feelings and turning them into the kindling for a story. A slightly different perspective, and you have a rich vein of metaphor and words. It’s just a small change in attitude, and a big change in results.