Why Finishing Your Writing Matters More Than Perfection
I recently had a reminder about perfection. In a rush of enthusiasm I set up lots of useful structures for our new Book Forge intake and then emailed all the information to them in a flurry of excitement. Only when I got an email from one of our community saying they couldn’t access what I had sent did I realise I had set up two identical Facebook groups, and got a few settings wrong on the Google calendar.
Once upon a time I would have beaten myself up for days over something like this. Now, I apologise, rectify things and resend the updated information. All is well. The reality is, I had a lot of tasks on my list and I had added in a few things that would be beneficial to the group on top of my already long to do list. Was I frustrated, yes. Will it all be ok, of course. No harm done.
This is why I am the wellbeing lead at Booksmith Academy and not the technical lead. I act on my intuition, I follow my heart and I fly by the seat of my pants a little. Most of the time everything turns out brilliantly, there may be the odd typo in a social media post or newsletter, but usually all is well.
Why am I sharing this?
What has this got to do with writing? Well, there is an important lesson in this for us as writers. Famously:
“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”
Jodi Picoult
It’s what we tell our community all the time. You have to write, just write something. You can always edit later, but if you let fear get in the way, or indeed perfectionism, you will never write a word.
You see there is no such thing as perfect writing. And even if there was, it would probably be awfully dull to read. It is the imperfections that make something truly beautiful.
When you look at nature, nothing is perfect, and what could be more beautiful than a flower, new born animal or landscape? None of these things are ever truly perfect. The rose may have a petal that is crumpled or growing around the edges, it is no less beautiful, sometimes it may even add to the beauty.
Some of the best writing, is truly awful
If you pick up any classic novel, or any book at all for that matter, you will find grammatical errors, typos and genuinely terrible choices of adjectives. Does this mean that they aren’t great books? Of course not. Often it is the imperfections that we love most.
I want you to think about someone you really love.
Now think about your favourite photo of them. I can almost guarantee that it isn’t a photo that they would like themselves, it isn’t posed or perfect. My guess is that your favourite photo of your loved one is animated, they might be laughing or dancing, they won’t be looking straight at the camera and smiling their most perfect smile, because that isn’t the person you love. You love the quirky, imperfection.
Does practice really make perfect?
I suppose it can, if that’s what you want. With practice you could write the textbook perfect book. You could perfect your grammar, spelling and use all the techniques and strategies that are outlined in writing books.
Would you write a great book?
I suppose it depends what you are writing it for. You could certainly write it to prove a point to me, but would I want to read it. No. we want to read books that are full of personality. Flaws and imperfections are what create that personality.
The important thing to bear in mind is that while regularly writing will improve your writing, of that there is no doubt, there is a difference between practicing to improve and aiming for perfect writing. Perfectionism is perhaps the leading cause of writer’s block and procrastination. Don’t be fooled by its name, perfection is the aim.
Remember this…
When you next sit down to write, remember what you have read. You don’t have to write the perfect book, or even the perfect social media post. The most important thing is that you write. That your message is understandable, and that we learn a little more about you as a result. We want to get to know the authentic, messy, imperfect writer, not the fake, polished, artificially perfect one.
Write because you love to write.
Write because you have something to say.
Write because you don’t know how to live without writing.
“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.”
―
When we are confronted with something that is seemingly perfect we feel ashamed, we put it on a pedestal and aspire to achieve such dizzying heights one day.
As humans it is our imperfections that form connections. When we see someone being vulnerable and showing their flaws, that is when we can truly relate to each other. That is when we say; “I have experienced like that”, “I understand that feeling”, “I know this person”.
It is when we read something that connects with us on a deep lesson that we feel the perfection of a piece of writing. It is not the perfect writing, but the perfect vulnerability and connection, that makes writing truly great.
There are many reasons people write. Some write to share knowledge or experiences. Others write to document their lives and thoughts. Some just know that they have to write.
Whatever your reason for writing, remember, you are writing because you love to write, and those who read your writing (if anyone is going to read it), read it because they love your writing style. Your readers love hearing your voice through your words on a page.
They don’t want perfect, they want to connect with you.
P.S. Just as an experiment I ran this post through ChatGPT to see if it tried to perfect it. It did, of course find many things I could have improved. I didn’t change anything. I hope that that was a gamble that paid off and you accept my imperfect writing.
If you are looking for a group of perfectly imperfect writers to share your writing journey with, and provide you with accountability and a supportive community, why not join The Writers Forge, or you could jump on our mailing list to recieve writing tips straight to your inbox every fortnight.