Having a great day? Fantastic, get to writing. Having a rough day? Great, reflect on paper or use a keyboard. There is no inconvenient time, no bad mood, and no excuses. We just need to keep writing.
I cannot express how much time I have wasted waiting for divine inspiration before getting to work. I sit, I ponder, and I turnover ideas in my head a thousand times before I even try to write them down. I fuss and I fret, tweak, re-write, and block myself from ever getting to the natural end of the story. I keep hamstringing myself worrying about perfection and perception.
It is a constant struggle for me to keep the adage ‘perfection is the enemy of done’ in mind. It has eased so much stress in my life to let go -wherever I can- of the pursuit of perfection. It’s a myth, in any case, as perfect writing simply doesn’t exist. It’s narcissistic to believe that I can somehow be perfect.
I also cannot control the perception of my work. I mean, I like it, but that doesn’t mean anyone else has to. I try to write with humour, with wit, and with personality. But what I mean to put on the paper and what is perceived is not in my control. And that’s a very freeing reality.
All I can do is to write honestly and with purpose. I can share myself, my imagination, and my beliefs in words. No, I can’t control the fact that I am constantly going to want to go back and change things, or how you will read it. But I can start to capitalize on the feeling and say it differently, in a new project.
As long as just I keep writing.
