Ironically, what I write will speak of who I am. I know I cannot stop the stamp my printed words will make on my identity. I resent that. Authors often hide full manuscripts under the bed and never publish them, for good reason. I am afraid of the words in these pages; afraid they will tattoo me. I am not sure I want to lay them down. I am not sure I can stand behind them in times to come.
One reason for perfectionism that keeps us (and me) from publishing a lot and publishing early. It makes us vulnerable. But the only reason to be afraid of showing your work, the current you, is tol try and stick to the imagination of yourself that's wiser, prettier, more clever, more everything. But that imaginary person does not really exist and they cannot do the work for you. And this perfectionism slows us down and starves us of feedback and practice that helps us improve.
