(5 min read.) Perfectionism is awesome. I’m a professional writing coach and I heart perfectionists. Being perfect is not an unattainable standard. Some of us ARE perfect. (At least some of the time.) People have made perfect books. There will be more perfect poems. There will be more perfect stories and essays. You could be the person who makes some of them!
Perfectionism is not (in and of itself) a problem. If you leverage it right, it’s even an asset. Sorry not sorry. If you want to write, it’s cool to try to do it perfectly. It’s fine to want to be perfect. Don’t aim for less.
I’m tired of pessimistic creative advice that tells us not to try to be perfect. I love perfect people. I love perfect things. I love the movie “Citizen Kane” and I love Zendaya’s face. Why not aim for perfection?
Here’s the problem: Why do we let the desire for perfection freeze us instead of letting it inspire us?
Michelangelo, Perfectionism, and Productivity
Perfectionists can be SUPER productive.
Michelangelo made a ton of stuff. His prolific artistic productivity is probably a big part of why we’ve heard of him, even though he was in the Italian Renaissance which was a real long time ago. He made dozens of masterpieces. If his name doesn’t ring a bell: he sculpted the statue of David and he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Even if you don’t know what those works of art look like, rest assured that they’ve both been featured in jokes on “The Simpsons.” Which proves this guy is very famous.
So, he was a genius, made masterpieces, etc. Do you think Michelangelo was or willing to be satisfied with anything that wasn’t up to his incredibly high standards? He was a super-intense perfectionist. He definitely didn’t walk around babbling about doing a “sh*tty first draft.” He actually BURNED his process sketches so that people wouldn’t be subjected to the legacy of anything he made (even an outline sketch) that wasn’t up to his own standards. He wanted to be perfect and seemingly always tried.
He was pretty f*ckin’ prolific.
So, you can definitely be a perfectionist and still be prolific.
Perfectionism and High Standards
When they can’t write, people often blame their high standards.
That’s hella unfair.
“I’m so blocked, I can’t get started because it won’t be good enough, I’m such a perfectionist, how can I lower my standards?”
The problem isn’t high standards.
The problem is that you’re not seeing the urgent value of what you can already do well.
(We’ll get back to this idea at the very end.)
As a private writing coach, I see something in sessions that I want to tell you about. People come to me with blank pages and say their impossibly high standards are why they aren’t writing. “I’m too critical of myself.” If you say that, I get it. It might be totally true. So what? Embrace it. You’re critical. That’s great. Hot tip: criticizing yourself for how critical you are won’t help, and will just make you more tired. Plus, hating or getting rid of your inner critic is not gonna make you an excellent writer. Being self-critical can be SO good for a creative person.
If you’re naturally critical, stay critical. It’s an asset. If you don’t see the flaws in your work, you won’t improve… and if you don’t improve, you’ll never be perfect.
Yeah I said it: keep trying to be perfect.
Why give up on perfection?
Don’t lower your standards. Keep trying to be perfect. You might succeed.
I have.
I’ve done a perfect first draft. Just a few times in my life, but it’s happened to me; a project has all come out correctly the first time. I didn’t need to do a messy first draft, I didn’t need to edit, I didn’t need to tweak or apologize for anything; I just got it right. Like Michael Jordan sinking a basket.
It’s only happened like three times in twenty years, but it has happened to me.
It could happen to you.
So, keep aiming for perfection.
It’s not your enemy.
Your enemy is that you aren’t seeing the value of your work’s most outstanding quality.
Let’s talk about seeing the urgent value of what you can already do well. (This is the idea I said we’d get back to at the end.)
Overcoming Perfectionism
“Perfectionism” is a practical problem for writers and other creative folks because it can lead to paralysis. As a perfectionist writer, you might end up freezing, puttering, or taking forever on tiny editing details like moving one semi-colon back and forth over and over for weeks. But the solution to this issue is not to have lower standards. The solution is to be so excited about the best parts of your work that you can’t wait any longer to write your thing and publish it.
Don’t lower your standards.
Instead of lowering your standards…
Stoke your fire.
Let your high standards do their job. They’re there to inspire you. Keep them. Be unrealistic. Try to do everything perfectly. Aim ridiculously high.
Stay critical, if you already lean that way. Be ruthless about noticing the parts of your work that wouldn’t satisfy you as a reader. Know your shortcomings. Work on them. Grow through them. BECOME MORE PERFECT. Don’t “care less” about how good your work is (or isn’t.)
Care more.
Just make sure you’re caring the most about the most important part.
MOSTLY, CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE BEST AT. Take an honest look at your creative writing abilities and skills. Notice what you’re already good at on the page. Admit its value. Focus on how much the world needs that. Then, go after it with everything you’ve got.
Do you tell jokes well? Do you offer an original premise that people haven’t seen before? Are your characters fun and/or dynamic? Do you have an under-represented cultural perspective? Do you write really clean sentences that give people space to breathe? (I don’t.) Are you fearlessly messy at capturing the complexity of real feelings? Do your villains rock? Is your message heart-thumpingly sincere? Do you simply choose cool words?
Find the best quality of your work.
It’s the solution to any “perfectionist” issue you’re having.
(Feel like you’re not good at anything? Every writer I’ve ever coached from first-timers to burned-out pros arrives bearing SOMETHING they’re good at, and almost all of them take it for granted. If you aren’t sure what you’re best at as a writer yet, come see me in a sliding scale session or email me about a free scholarship session and we’ll talk it through a little.)
When you focus on giving an urgent gift to the world, the fear of imperfection recedes. Your ego steps back and your generosity steps forward. So, if you want to “solve” your perfectionism: look for what’s ALREADY perfect (or close to perfect) within your work.
VALUE IT FULLY.
If you can do that, nothing else will matter so much.
(If you’re a perfectionist JUST LIKE ME and are ready to try writing anyway, here are my Practical Tips for the Perfectionist Writer.)
xo, megan
Or just go home to the blog.
These (hopefully) really quite helpful creative writing tips offer what I’ve learned as an award-winning author who writes a million words a year, and what I’ve learned about supporting others as a private writing coach.
There’s no one way to write. There’s only your way. I hope some of my tactics and ideas can help you find it.
Yup, I’m a writing coach.
I work with folks at all levels of experience and all levels of income. My writers range from unhoused teens living on the streets to C-suite executives who want to up-level their communication. If you want a private coaching session but can’t afford it, email megan@howtowritesomething.com and ask for scholarship info.
curious/confused?: what does a writing coach do (and not do)
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