I used to be a perfectionist. I was voted the class perfectionist in 8th grade. Yep, I was a notorious perfectionist. Perfectionism is a good thing, sometimes. But a heck of a thing most of the time.
Perfectionists end up being pathologically bothered by stuff that the slovenly among us don’t notice. (And if we’re honest, it’s also the stuff that doesn’t really matter all that much). That tile in the bathroom that is slightly raised at the edge. The untidy desk in their kids’ rooms. The collection that is just one tape short — yes, I’m looking at you, Frasier Crane.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for perfectionism in certain areas. Brain surgery, for example. But this is a writing blog, so what I’m talking about here is perfectionism in writing. It is my firm belief that perfection is not desirable when writing, unless you want your novel to remain for your eyes only. Forever. This is because your novel will never be perfect enough to send out to agents or publishers. That’s a fact. Your first paragraph could always be better, let alone every other paragraph. Is that what you want?
We are right at the end of an interesting, difficult and surprising year that has forced many of us to reframe how we see ourselves, the world, and other people. I let go of perfectionism, by choice, many years ago. But if I hadn’t, this year would have taught me that perfection has its place, but it’s not a necessity. In fact, it can be an impediment. We have enough impediments at the moment, so why hold onto that one?
If you are perfectionist writer, I challenge you to write a few chapters without getting bogged down in line by line editing. See how far you can get. You might surprise yourself.