You’ve spent years reading books, and you’ve developed a good taste.
Usually, it’s a good thing but not in the case of a beginner writer. That’s probably the main reason why you struggle with procrastination and self-doubt.
You know how a good book should look like, but you still can’t write one. When you read your writing you’re aware that it’s not even close to something you might define as a good book because you have high standards.
Then, the self-doubt kicks in, you start procrastinating and waiting for the muse, or you might even give up writing.
Just because you can’t produce a masterpiece in a first try, it doesn’t mean that you’re not talented; it means that you need more practice. Writing is a skill and like any other skill, it needs practice.
You don’t hear Beethoven’s 5th and expect to compose something like that the next day. It takes years, if not a lifetime.
It’s easier to see the absurdity of our expectation through something like music because not many people can compose music; an average human being can’t hear a musical note and write it down on a piece of paper.
On the other hand, almost everybody can hear a word and write it down. Therefore, you automatically think that just because you know how to use the tool, you might as well produce something brilliant.
No, it takes years of deliberate practice.
Pick up your favorite author and you will realize that they’ve all put their 10,000 or so hours of practice before producing anything worthy.
Why should you be any different?