A term that has become synonymous with any sort of meaningful work these days is perfectionism.
Perfectionism is the constant chasing of a perfect or ideal product often at the expense of your own output.
This rather nasty mindset WILL affect everybody at some point.
Taking 23 years to finish your first draft of your novel IS PERFECTIONISM
If you won’t date before you are ready too, THAT’S perfectionism.
Even putting off starting that project you’ve always wanted because you’re ‘not ready’ IS perfectionism.
Perfection Is A LIE!
Paralysis by Analysis
Constantly comparing yourself and your accomplishments to a perfect scenario is one sure way to hit writer’s block.
The problem with the idea of perfection is that it NEVER occurs naturally.
Anything considered completely perfect is actually a horrifying thing.
A perfectly round sphere is terrifying.
Perfectly white rooms are terrifying.
The peak perfection of anything you consider worthwhile is a terrible thing.
Imperfections are what MAKES your work.
This is because when you push the boundaries of what is acceptable and what is considered wrong you create art.
Art can NEVER be perfect.
Someone will ALWAYS have something negative to say about anything.
A great way to put this into perspective is to go online and read 1-star reviews for your favorite books, everything they have to say is complete nonsense to you but is an interesting well put together comment in their eyes.
Your perfect is NEVER the same as someone else’s perfect.
This is something I have only come to terms with recently.
I’m guilty of putting off starting things forever and ever because I’m ‘just not ready’ so start them.
This point of view springs from the idea that what I consider a ready writer, is the same as what you think makes up a ‘ready writer’.
Obviously, believing in this lie leads to paralysis by overanalysis, where I’ll go months without creating ANYTHING because “I’m just not ready”.
The thing is. . .
You’ll NEVER be Ready
Waiting for the ‘perfect’ time for anything is the same as asking for a sign from God himself before you start your day.
It just doesn’t make sense.
What I’ve come to understand about my writing is the MOST important part is showing up.
Showing up
Every,
Single,
Day
Rather than focusing on how good your work is or how it compares to others in your field, it’s so much more valuable to make sure you are just showing up.
A common phrase in recovering alcoholics is that
“You can only control the first drink”
Similarly, in your writing, you can only control whether you show up or not.
That’s it.
You don’t control how good your writing is.
You don’t control how many ideas come to you.
And you DEFINITELY don’t control if you’re ready or not to write
So rather than worrying about the finished product and getting paralyzed with fear focus on showing up every day, focus on controlling yourself enough to stick with your work, and the quality WILL follow.
The biggest block to showing up every day is. . .
The Fear of Failure
The thing is creating is a very vulnerable act.
Putting something you care about in front of impartial eyes is extremely daunting because once they react to your writing, you’ll know EXACTLY how good your work is for that person.
This aspect is terrifying for perfectionist artists, therefore perfectionism becomes a coping mechanism by which keeping your work to yourself because it’s ‘not good enough’ is not a matter of care for the reader’s experience but rather a desperate attempt to save their own feelings.
People are going to not like your writing.
It’s just how these things go, some things are just not someone’s thing.
And that’s ok.
Because there will be just as many people who absolutely adore your work.
Who are you to decide how good your writing is, when it’s different for everyone.
So the noble thing to do is to just put yourself and your work out there, consistently, no matter the feedback.
Another way to think about it is if 6 months from now god forbid you are terminally ill will you be content with all your unfinished projects? or would you be wishing with every fiber of your being that you just put yourself out there and wrote every day?
So, just do it.
Write every day.
Share your writing.
Make this world a little bit more interesting with your unique writing flair.
I thank you for your attention.
Good Luck and Get Writing 🙂
I write lots of stuff for writers who want to improve their writing, here’s a post about the power of writing with constraints;
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