Heinlein’s Rules and the Death of Perfectionism

Every writer has a nemesis. For some, it’s the blank page. For others, it’s the inner critic.

For many, it’s Netflix, Instagram, or the irresistible urge to alphabetize their spice cabinet instead of writing.

But for nearly all writers, the greatest enemy is the same:

Perfectionism.

Perfectionism looks productive. It sounds noble. It whispers (or yells), “Not yet… not good enough… one more pass and then it will shine.” But perfectionism doesn’t polish your work—it paralyzes it.

And few people understood this better than Robert A. Heinlein.

Heinlein, one of the great science fiction writers of the 20th century, wrote an article in the 1940s outlining what he believed separated pro writers from amateurs. His insights were blunt, simple, and—if taken seriously—career-changing.

Before we look at his rules, let me say something that may sting:

Most writers don’t need more talent. They need more courage.

Heinlein’s rules don’t coddle the writer’s ego. They expose it. And they offer a way out of the perfectionist spiral that kills more writing careers than any lack of skill.

Let’s take them one by one.

Rule #1: You Must Write

Obvious? Yes.

Easy? No.

Most people who say they want to write don’t actually write. They equate writing with learning a new book formatting software. Many writers believe outlining a new story is writing. A crew of writers talking about writing in a coffee shop is writing. People read books about writing, and take courses on writing.

Not bad things at all… but still not writing.

Writing only happens when you produce new words on the page. A writer writes. A wannabe talks about writing.

If you want to separate yourself from the masses, your first step is embarrassingly simple: put new words on the page.

Not perfect words. Not world-changing words. Just words. Momentum begins one word, sentence, paragraph, and page at a time.

• Key question: When will you write today?

Rule #2: You Must Finish What You Start

How many half-finished manuscripts live on your hard drive?

How many “great ideas” died somewhere between inspiration and chapter three?

Finishing is a superpower.

When you complete something—anything—you collapse the invisible wall between an amateur and a pro, between “someone who tries” and “someone who does.” Finishing also teaches your brain a crucial truth: you can do this.

Wannabe writers love talking about the novel they’ve been “working on” for a decade. Real writers finish—even if the final product isn’t perfect.

Especially if it isn’t perfect.

• Key question: What unfinished project needs to be brought across the finish line?

Rule #3: Don’t Rewrite Except to Editorial Demand

This is where people throw tomatoes. We’ve been taught that writing equals rewriting. That outstanding books are revised fifteen times. That perfection lives on the other side of endless drafts.

Heinlein says: nonsense.

Now—to be clear—he is not talking about copyediting, cleaning up sentences, or fixing inconsistencies. Every professional writer does that.

He’s talking about the obsessive rewriting that destroys your voice, murders your momentum, and keeps you chained to a single manuscript for years. I run into people daily who are “writing” their novel only to find out it’s been a ten-year journey.

Writers often rewrite not because the story needs improvement, but because they’re afraid to let it go.

If the story really needs a page-one rewrite? Start over. Don’t “polish” a broken manuscript. You’ll sand it down to dust. Or, as I once heard, you can’t polish a turd… it still will be a turd.

Many prolific authors—Lee Child, Dean Wesley Smith, Elmore Leonard, Stephen King—write one clean draft, lightly revise on a second draft, and send draft for a third pass with an editors. That’s it. Move on. They have more stories to tell. These authors trust the voice that showed up the first time.

Rewriting to death is just another form of fear dressed up as professionalism.

• Key question: When is “good enough” actually good enough?

Rule #4: You Must Put Your Work on the Market

In Heinlein’s world, this meant sending stories to magazines. Today, it means publishing—indie, traditional, hybrid, newsletters, blogs, Amazon, Kobo, Substack, small publishers, websites, or wherever you can get eyes on your work.

But the rule stands: if no one sees your work, your work doesn’t exist. Sharing takes courage. It exposes your heart, your brain, your strange creative musings to public opinion. But that’s the cost of being a writer.

Some will love what you make.

Some won’t.

That’s normal.

Your job is not to predict the audience’s reaction.

Your job is to let there be an audience reaction.

• Key question: What finished project needs to see daylight?

Rule #5: Keep Your Work on the Market Until It Sells

This is a patience rule. Most writers quit too early. They publish a book, get three sales (two of which are their mom), and decide they’re failures.

But books live long lives—especially in the indie world. Something you publish today may find its audience years from now. Or readers may discover it after your seventh book comes out. Or it may require a better cover or a different category before it takes off.

The point is simple: don’t quit. A single book rarely makes a career. A body of work does. Think of your books as a portfolio. A digital storefront. The more you put in the store the better chances you have of being discovered.

Stick with it. Keep creating. Keep publishing. Success comes to those who think about writing as a long-term business, not a mere hobby.

• Key question: What have you taken down (or given up on) too quickly?

Rule #6: Repeat

This rule is yours—and it’s the glue that holds everything else together.

Start a new project.

Start again.

Keep starting.

Keep finishing.

Keep shipping.

This is the rhythm of a prolific writer.

Rules 1–5 build consistency.

Rule 6 builds a career.

Perfectionism Isn’t Excellence — It’s Fear

Here’s the truth no one tells beginning writers:

Perfectionism is the enemy of finished work.

Perfectionism is the enemy of our authentic voice.

Perfectionism is the enemy of joy.

Finishing something imperfect is far more powerful than perfecting something unfinished.

A finished story teaches you.

A finished book strengthens you.

A finished project becomes the foundation for the next.

Heinlein’s rules aren’t about speed; they’re about integrity. They call you to be courageous, disciplined, honest, and prolific. The world doesn’t need your perfect book. It needs your finished one.

The Invitation

What project have you been avoiding?

What story have you been polishing to death?

What idea have you refused to share?

Maybe it’s time to stop chasing the unicorn of perfection and start living like a writer who believes their work matters.

Finish it.

Ship it.

Tell more stories.

Repeat.

Your future books (and self) will thank you.

Your readers will thank you.

And most importantly—you’ll become the writer you were designed to be.

Prolific.

-Ryan