Perfect Isn't Possible - Writing Tips

Hate to break it to you, but no draft is perfect. Ever.

Yeah, I said it.

Perfect is not possible.

As writers, we strive to be, don't we?

But it's a myth.

Don't Gut Your Work

Some writing tips come at you like a splash of cold water to the face. After all, our narratives build worlds and characters flecked with pieces of ourselves. As we write, our hearts have soared with our characters' triumphs and wilted in their defeats. We live and die in those moments as we should. If we aren't emotionally invested in what we write, then it'll never resonate the way we want it to with our readers.

However, there is an important point in the creative process that needs to be addressed. In the course of creating, we cannot allow ourselves to be swallowed by the myth. If we do, if we succumb to the notion that somewhere in the sea of words, there is perfection, then we will never finish the manuscript. We will forever seek the perfect word or turn of phrase or witty banter, and we will smother the flickering flame of what made our story truly shine.

In the process of finding the perfect word, we can choke the life out of a perfectly good manuscript.

Now, I'm not saying don't edit. We all need to edit (and love every minute of it, right?), but what I'm suggesting is instead of making five hundred editing passes on the same manuscript, let it go at five. I'm sure that might've sent some of you screaming for the exit doors, and that's okay. We all have a method to our madness, and if yours is to edit it five hundred times, then go for it. I think the manuscript will suffer for it, though.

Just get the words down and finish the draft. Messy or not. Get it down.

I know some authors who agonize over every word. Some are great writers, but they get mired in perfection and lose sight of what made the story great in the first place. In many cases, they can't even finish the book they started. The one with so much promise. That's because they've choked the life out of it.

Get the words down. Let the story breathe. Let it be a little messy. Life is messy. Our characters shouldn't be perfect either. Let the characters live and die on the page as they're supposed to do. And somewhere in the course of all that, believe it or not, perfection will live and the story will thrive.

Always remember to write ON!