There’s an old saying out there. “Don’t let the perfect
be the enemy of the good.” Basically, it means that you shouldn't vainly strive
for perfection when you already have something good.
I think this is very important for writers, and
especially for me.
I’m a perfectionist. I don’t like to half-ass anything.
If I’m passionate about something, I dive headlong into it and immerse myself
in it. The thought of churning out something less than perfect is anathema,
even though I know perfection is unattainable. So I revise, work on something else,
revise again, start something else, revise two things, etc. Do you see the
vicious circle at work?
The perfect has become the enemy of the good for me. I
want to put out a book that will not only leave my readers’ mouths agape, but
also satisfy my own desire to produce the best work I can. The thing is, we all
have to let go at some point. After you revise a few times, you get to the
point where you've made something as good as you can make it. Maybe you bring
in an outside editor when that happens. Maybe you send it to your publisher and let
them take their knives to it. The key is to do something
with it.
I need to get better at that, and I know it.
Other things at which I need to get better: updating this
blog more regularly, and allowing myself to end introductory phrases with
prepositions.
Happy writing. Happy good
writing.
