Over thought

Currently Reading: Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel

Reader,

Oh how nice it would be to revert back to simpler times.  I don't mean go back to the 1900's or anything that drastic, but instead back to my childhood, when I was first discovering writing.  In middle school and the first parts of high school I could easily fill composition notebooks full of writing, on one particular story.  I had at least three composition books full, and although my handwriting has always been big, it was still quite the collection of words.

Now I trap myself, before I even get too far into the story.  Is this good enough to publish?  What did I read in my blogs about character trait X?  How will I write a query for this when it's finished?  How many hours worth of revision will this take?  How much world building should I do before hand?  Should the plot be predetermined?  Stephen King writes starting with a what if scenario and just writes.  Should I do that?  How detailed should my character be before hand?  Should I be keeping track of these details while I write?  How much research is needed to make this plausible?  You get the picture, reader.

I know that first drafts are allowed to suck, but I get stuck in my head, over everything.  When I was developing my passion for writing none of that mattered.  I wrote for myself first, and anyone who wanted to read it second.  I could spend hours writing without worrying about plot, or facts, or saleability.  If I want to get anywhere with writing I need to turn this over thinking part of my brain off for writing time.  I need to figure out what style of writing works best for me, but stop thinking about what I should be doing differently.

Reader, how do you get past trying to be perfect the first time?
Or do you, similarly, get stuck inside your head? 

Until next time,
Rose