Writers: Perfectionism is your worst enemy.
If you struggle with perfectionism when you write, you’ll want to read this post. Leave a comment to join this dialogue, and don't forget to check out today’s writing prompt. [From the Archive.]
The greatest gift any writer can give themselves is the permission to write badly— the permission to misspell words and forget to use punctuation or use the wrong punctuation and be repetitive or use everyday words instead of flowery, complicated language, etc. They should forget about making their writing ‘perfect’ as they write, in other words. Why? Because ‘writing badly’, or unencumbered, is a fundamental part of the writing process, which can’t happen successfully if you expect every draft you write to be perfect every time you sit down to write. In fact, if you don’t allow yourself to write badly, meaning imperfectly yet freely, you and your writing risk becoming obstructed or, even worse, inauthentic and boring or trite.
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” — Sylvia Plath
First drafts are for getting your ideas down or fleshing out your emotional states, sometimes simultaneously. They are not meant to be perfect or pretty to look at. In fact, they shouldn’t be. The messier and more imperfect the first couple of drafts you write are, the more honest and necessary they are.
“When things are perfect, that's when you need to worry most.” ― Drew Barrymore
Think about it. When you’re pouring your soul out onto the page, or dumping a bunch of connected yet jumbled ideas you’re trying to organize onto the page, it won’t look pretty at first. And it will seem far from perfect. But it will feel more authentic and liberating and necessary to what you are trying to express via your writing. And that matters a great deal. The process of getting your feelings and ideas onto the page without any strict structure or diction (etc.) holding you back, is one of the first crucial steps in the writing process and shouldn’t be impeded by constant self-editing or restraint, which are forms of perfectionism. You must write your first drafts freely and authentically, especially if you want to have anything worth revising or editing.
“Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it's often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis.” ― Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection
Far too often we only consider the final drafts of the writing we produce as ‘real writing’ or the only part of the writing process that matters— the end product, the drafts that are pretty and coherent, that look ‘perfect.’ But think of all the steps that went into producing those final drafts. Those crucial steps shouldn’t be discredited or unaccounted for when we think of writing and the writing process—those imperfect steps in the writing process that entail constant focus and vulnerability, and eventual brutal revision— because those steps are the writing process. Most seasoned writers know that what you’re really doing when you sit down to write most of the time, after you’ve written your imperfect and authentic drafts, is revising those drafts in some way shape or form. But those imperfect drafts need to be written first. Otherwise, there won’t be anything worth revising or editing in the first place.
“You can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page.” ― Jodi Picoult
All this to say that perfectionism is the best way to engender self-doubt in not only what you’re writing (or drafting), but how you view yourself as a writer. And I can’t think of anything worse. If you don’t allow yourself to write imperfectly when you’re writing your drafts, you’re also not allowing yourself to write authentically and freely, or to say all the things inside of you that no one else can say in quite the same way that only you can. If you are constantly self-editing or holding back as you write— trying to be a ‘perfect writer,’ or the writer you think you should be, instead of being the authentic writer you actually are— you are in essence censoring the best parts of yourself and your writing, those things that are unique to you and your writing, those things that your readers will gravitate toward and crave.
“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.” ― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
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Today’s Writing Prompt
Writing Prompt: Double
Write a scene in which you use the word 'double.'
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