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description=Embracing deliberate imperfection with first drafts. Narrative non-fiction, personal essays, and more. Click to read The Good Enough Diaries, by Jess, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.;
author=Jess;

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about the good enough diaries subscribe sign in home notes archive about i m tired of perfection controlling my life why do we force ourselves to strive for perfection in the eyes of others when we can just be good enough the good enough diaries began when i first made this substack in january 2025 but it lay dormant for months as i was paralysed by an all too familiar feeling i was unable to post anything i wrote fearful that it wasn t perfect enough to be shared then i started challenging why i think that way in the first place why i ve allowed my perfection obsession to control my life as an autistic person i ve spent years trying to contort and mould myself into something i m not and what i thought others wanted me to be soon it started to infect my writing as well the one place i thought i could be myself i would nitpick and edit my work until eventually it sounded nothing like the first draft i couldn t recognise myself in my writing anymore this publication is my solution a way to get over my perfection obsession and embrace the deliberate messy joy that only comes with first drafts so i can finally hear my voice in my writing again with the good enough diaries you ll find creative non fiction prose personal essays and whatever else flows out of my fingertips onto my keyboard that day whatever form these pieces take they will only ever be my first drafts why subscribe naturally we all hold ourselves to impossible ever growing expectations if you can relate to this i hope you can find solace in this space where good enough really is enough new pieces of imperfection every wednesday at 5pm gmt subscribe subscribe to the good enough diaries embracing deliberate imperfection with first drafts narrative non fiction personal essays and more subscribe people 2026 jess telling privacy terms collection notice start your substack get the app substack is the home for great culture this site requires javascript to run correctly please turn on javascript or unblock scripts