Screw Perfection

It’s rare to be good at new things, but we must try anyways or we may never discover new talents. Take writing for example. I did well in English class, but never thought I could be a writer because I didn’t think I was good enough. Truth be told I did have some talent, but I was far from being a professional. It was only when I committed to writing everyday that I started to see an improvement.

I used to think I could only write when the mood was perfect and I was inspired, but I have since learned that you have to show up and produce regardless of how you feel because that’s the only things will get done. Like Stephen King said, the secret to writing is sitting in your chair and not getting up until you’ve written something, even if it’s terrible.

Where I was once stymied by the blank page I now relish the challenge because I focus on getting the words down and worry about getting them “perfect” in the rewrite. Like Chandler Bolt says, done is better than perfect.

The truth is I used to agonize over every word choice and sentence structure choice so much it stopped the flow of my thoughts. I’ve since learned you have to write without letting your inner editor get in the way. You have to get it in your head that not everything you write will be good. Accept this and move on, for that is the only way you’ll get better.

Moreover, I’ve also learned you have to risk failure if you want to shoot for greatness. With my current work in progress there is so much I want to say with the work and so many issues I want to cover that sometimes the pressure to “get it right” is overwhelming and I don’t write out of fear of failing. But I’m learning you have to let that fear go and write anyways.

If you let your fears win then you’ll never complete that blog post, book, or whatever you’re working on. I’m not going to lie, sometimes it will be hard to get the words out, but you have to try anyways, because it is only when we stop that we fail. So soldier on because no matter how bad a piece might be you can always make it better. Because the rewrite is where the magic happens.