January 2006 Weddings
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
My biggest problem...
...is that I can't just "let myself go." I am a proofreader by day, and have been an editor in the past. My inner editor is too strong and too loud. Not only that, but I am convinced that all my ideas are dull, boring, have no steam, etc. I have put myself up on such a pedestal that I can't come down... I can't just WRITE. I need it to be great--the next Nicholas Sparks book or Jodi Picoult book or Dickens or whoever... someone people KNOW. I remind myself over and over that perhaps their first novels were never published, or were overlooked, etc.
I am just so critical of myself that I can't even get started. I've been looking forward to NaNo for so long, and now that it's here, I can't even get out of the starting gate. 
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Re: My biggest problem...
You CAN do this. As a proofreader you know that it takes multiple rounds of edits before something is even sent out. Just look at this as your first draft. Make yourself sit down for 15-30 minute blocks and just start typing.
My BFF has this huge plot outline and every time I look at it I feel like I'm getting hives because I don't have one. I would love to have one and I think that I'll go and work on it, but instead I just start writing. Who cares if I really have paragraphs and sometimes I leave a lot of space between sentences because I know something else needs to go there, but it will come eventually.
Really, though, you just have to start writing. You'll get there!
FACT: Stephen King wrote three novels before Carrie. They were only published later when he skyrocketed to success.
FACT: In his book, SK says he still hates Carrie as a character, but he understands her. He even threw out his first three pages because he thought he couldn't write it.
Other words of wisdom from SK:
"You must not come lightly to the blank page...This is writing, not washing the car or putting on eyeliner."
"Write what you like, then imbue it with life."
"The scariest moment is always just before you start."
And from Ernest Hemingway: "The first draft of anything is sh*t."
What I'm trying to say with all this is that even accomplished writers like SK and EH realize the first draft is hard, and it always sucks. So keep on trying and fix it in revisions!
I understand how you feel. I freelance as a copyeditor and my inner editor is LOUD. I have a few strategies for keeping him away that might help.
When he's interfering most is usually when I'm not pressured for time to make my word count quota. When I have full days to write, I'll set a timer for an hour or a half hour and try to make a word count goal in that amount of time. Then I don't have time to think about the editing.
Second, try to talk yourself down. Tell yourself that no one ever needs to see this manuscript. You're writing it for you and give yourself permission to change directions on a dime.
Third, if your inner editor really won't go away, then give him something else to play with. Last year I wrote my NaNo in the morning and in the afternoon, I did my freelance work and I revised another novel I was working on. It helped me separate the day between being creative and being an editor. If you can find a way to separate these roles for yourself, you might find it easier to shut off the editor during writing time.
Good luck!