Good, Better, Best

Good, better, best.

Most of us have heard words to that effect in which we are encouraged to constantly work to improve, making our good better until we can give our best. I think this is good advice, but it can often be misinterpreted, especially when it comes to writing.

One of the single most common mistakes that I see in writing is people trying to perfect something too quickly. For example, I’ve seen many students over the years spend far too long on a first draft of an essay or report b...