Break Free from the Perfectionist Prison
A blogger and freelance writer, Melissa Miller specializes in sharing education tips with readers (For instance, even in this tough economy, did you know that job seekers will still find
associate degrees in demand
at all kinds of companies?) Today, Melissa shares some inspirational tips that will help get you back to the keyboard. Remember, perfect is the enemy of really good!
“If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.” – Margaret Atwood
Perfectionists have a problem unleashing imperfect work in the world. This can be especially problematic for beginning writers who self-edit themselves into a perfectionist prison. With no editors, professors or deadlines to force an imperfect completion, how can the perfectionist ever hope to finish?1. Allow for uninterrupted, raw creativity.
Being a writer can sometimes feel like living life in a pressure cooker. A million different ideas, scenarios, details and characters can get housed in the same thought chamber as financial pressures and everyday obligations. So what’s the problem with working under these conditions? Well, it’s a little like putting a sock in with the roast. Even if you take the sock out before you serve it, that roast is going to taste a little funny. In fact, it might be downright awful. The roast and all the time you spent making it could be wasted. (But socks, just like our day-to-day worries, are plentiful and easy to come by.)
Find time to isolate yourself from all other obligations. Your perfectionism could be calling you to water the garden or pay bills online; but you must establish a singular and focused time to write and create uninterrupted.Our perfectionism can also serve as an interruption. Many people tend to write and edit at the same time. Creating is a different process for everyone, but in essence, it is a time to generate fresh concepts, visualize scenes and imagine possibilities. Evaluating your art prematurely or too often can bring things to a halt. Those who self-edit constantly can become exhausted and discouraged with imperfection, and those who edit too soon can stunt a brainstorming session that could have led to a promising idea.
2. Start writing with the belief that you ARE good enough.
Perfectionists, by definition, set impossibly high standards. If you are so self-critical that nothing feels good enough, chances are that you will fall in love with a project only to abandon it. Accept the fact that you won’t get it right the first time. If you have trouble beginning, set realistic goals based on quantity. Don’t allow yourself to edit until you’ve written a substantial amount. When reviewing your work, give yourself credit for the strongest parts. Find the pages or paragraphs or sentences that embody your vision and your passion. Position these passages as the foundation of your revisions and move forward.
Each revision should bring you closer to your vision and should, in turn, build your confidence in your talent and skill. It is the process that gives us confidence as writers, not the publishing.Remember, your final edits will not be your publisher’s final edits. It’s the same practice as when you turned in assignments in school. It’s going to come back with opportunities for improvement. This is what book editors get paid to do.
3. Break out of your comfort zone and make something ugly.
Writer’s block can be a product of perfectionism. Ernest Hemingway, who was one tough guy, cited the blank page as the most frightening thing he had ever encountered. As writers, we are so often consumed by our craft that we can become obsessed and imprisoned by the pressures of creation. Prolonged fixation on a scene or dialogue can bog down the creative process and dampen the spirits. The easy answer to this is to skip the scene. Move on to the next one and then write its precursor as a transition or foreshadowing. However, sometimes the fixation is too big to be skipped.
Becoming obsessed with a particular scene could mean that you’re taking it too seriously. One of my remedies for this is to draw a sketch of what I’m seeing. As a horrible artist, this usually sparks a big response from my impulses as a writer. By drawing something ugly, I can see what it truly is that I was trying to capture. If you don’t have a clear vision, it’s okay to use the blank page as a brainstorming session. Keep track of the most basic impressions, starting with the sensory experience, and expound from there. It may be messy and unfocused, but writer’s block is often about seeking too much control in the creative process.
Once you can accept imperfections and rewriting as part of the writing process, you will find yourself more prolific and creative than ever before.
Of course we invite your comments here, but Melissa also welcomes feedback at melissamiller831@gmail.com.
“If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.” – Margaret Atwood
Perfectionists have a problem unleashing imperfect work in the world. This can be especially problematic for beginning writers who self-edit themselves into a perfectionist prison. With no editors, professors or deadlines to force an imperfect completion, how can the perfectionist ever hope to finish?1. Allow for uninterrupted, raw creativity.
Being a writer can sometimes feel like living life in a pressure cooker. A million different ideas, scenarios, details and characters can get housed in the same thought chamber as financial pressures and everyday obligations. So what’s the problem with working under these conditions? Well, it’s a little like putting a sock in with the roast. Even if you take the sock out before you serve it, that roast is going to taste a little funny. In fact, it might be downright awful. The roast and all the time you spent making it could be wasted. (But socks, just like our day-to-day worries, are plentiful and easy to come by.)
Find time to isolate yourself from all other obligations. Your perfectionism could be calling you to water the garden or pay bills online; but you must establish a singular and focused time to write and create uninterrupted.Our perfectionism can also serve as an interruption. Many people tend to write and edit at the same time. Creating is a different process for everyone, but in essence, it is a time to generate fresh concepts, visualize scenes and imagine possibilities. Evaluating your art prematurely or too often can bring things to a halt. Those who self-edit constantly can become exhausted and discouraged with imperfection, and those who edit too soon can stunt a brainstorming session that could have led to a promising idea.
2. Start writing with the belief that you ARE good enough.
Perfectionists, by definition, set impossibly high standards. If you are so self-critical that nothing feels good enough, chances are that you will fall in love with a project only to abandon it. Accept the fact that you won’t get it right the first time. If you have trouble beginning, set realistic goals based on quantity. Don’t allow yourself to edit until you’ve written a substantial amount. When reviewing your work, give yourself credit for the strongest parts. Find the pages or paragraphs or sentences that embody your vision and your passion. Position these passages as the foundation of your revisions and move forward.
Each revision should bring you closer to your vision and should, in turn, build your confidence in your talent and skill. It is the process that gives us confidence as writers, not the publishing.Remember, your final edits will not be your publisher’s final edits. It’s the same practice as when you turned in assignments in school. It’s going to come back with opportunities for improvement. This is what book editors get paid to do.
3. Break out of your comfort zone and make something ugly.
Writer’s block can be a product of perfectionism. Ernest Hemingway, who was one tough guy, cited the blank page as the most frightening thing he had ever encountered. As writers, we are so often consumed by our craft that we can become obsessed and imprisoned by the pressures of creation. Prolonged fixation on a scene or dialogue can bog down the creative process and dampen the spirits. The easy answer to this is to skip the scene. Move on to the next one and then write its precursor as a transition or foreshadowing. However, sometimes the fixation is too big to be skipped.
Becoming obsessed with a particular scene could mean that you’re taking it too seriously. One of my remedies for this is to draw a sketch of what I’m seeing. As a horrible artist, this usually sparks a big response from my impulses as a writer. By drawing something ugly, I can see what it truly is that I was trying to capture. If you don’t have a clear vision, it’s okay to use the blank page as a brainstorming session. Keep track of the most basic impressions, starting with the sensory experience, and expound from there. It may be messy and unfocused, but writer’s block is often about seeking too much control in the creative process.
Once you can accept imperfections and rewriting as part of the writing process, you will find yourself more prolific and creative than ever before.
Of course we invite your comments here, but Melissa also welcomes feedback at melissamiller831@gmail.com.
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