Take Your Writing to the Next Level: Perfectionism

I learned something all over again the other day.

Sometimes I have to be dissatisfied with my work
in order to
take it to the next level.

That’s right. Sometimes that annoying little editor perfectionist b*tch that hangs out over my right shoulder… is okay. A little harsh, yeah, of course. But sometimes that mean hag is right. Sometimes her driving criticism is for my own good and I should listen.

And especially when I am doing something difficult. That’s when I really need to listen to her spurring me on so I don’t quit or do things half-butted.

So, what was I doing when this nugget hit me? I was working on organizing some of the information I have on my It’s All Kid’s Play website (check it out–I’m done!!!! (Well, mostly. Still some tweaking and images to add.) Tell me what you think. Does it need something? Do you like it? Feel free to pass the word on about it if you are so inclined).

I was trying to figure out an easy way for people to find the information (crafts and activities) on each page without a ton of scrolling. I have hundreds of activities for kids on the site and around 30 pages, so most pages have about 10-20 items per page. But that’s a lot of scrolling when each activity or craft has anywhere from 0-15 lines of text after them. I tried drop down menus within the paragraphs–too much work for the reader. I tried columns, but the irregularity of the paragraphs looked odd. I tried read more links–too much work. I experimented again and again and put in hours I didn’t have–damn that b*tch, but she was right again and again. It just simply wasn’t good enough. Why go to all this effort if I wasn’t going to be truly satisfied?

And so I kept trying. Kept working. Kept getting harangued by that snot on my shoulder. Eventually I came up with a solution that isn’t too bad. (I hope!)

It’s the same with writing. When I get to the hard slogging, I tend to buck and balk. Hey! I just spent two precious weeks on that scene, what do you mean you think I should take it out? Are you nuts??? And you want me to try something completely new? How much time do you think I have?

But she’s right. When she’s the loudest and most annoying, and I buck at her advice–that’s when she’s right about the most important things and I should shut the heck up and listen.

How about you? Do you ever balk at your internal editor? Did you listen to her/him and find they were right after all (and it was worth the grief)?

Too Much of a Good Thing is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Sometimes, one ends up with too much of a good thing and has to trim the cupboards so things don’t get rank, forgotten, or go to waste.

As we speak (write and read), I have ten tubs of ice cream in the freezer. Woot! And this is after finishing off two. Darn those grocery people putting the good stuff on sale all winter! I’m buying it faster than I can eat it! And the problem is that some of it is getting a bit, well, ice crystally. And you CAN’T let ice cream go to waste! So, what to do? Eat!

This ice-cream cone has nothing on me!

On the career side of things, I have a similar problem. Currently, I have many first drafts kicking around waiting to be edited as well as stories half-written and abandoned. See, the problem is that while editing stories, I need a break. So what do I do? I treat myself to writing a new story. (Or I have this brilliant story idea and HAVE to write it RIGHT NOW!) But then life intercedes, or I go back to the edits and the story ends up sitting. So, over the past few years, I’ve ended up with many beloved stories that aren’t ‘quite there’ yet.

And instead of a freezer full of ice-creamy goodness, I have a hard drive full of storyline goodness. All very, very tempting. But you can’t be a story pig, because there is only so much time in the day. So what do you do?

That’s where I am right now. I’m ready to dive back into my stories… but which one!?

Do I work on the one that is ‘most ready’ and get it up to snuff? Do I continue working on the story that is in the literary agent showcase over in WEbook’s Page to Fame contest in case anyone wants to see it? Do I play with the kids’ story I was working on a few months ago?

Choices… choices.

Edits As a Form of Self-Abuse

That’s right. I said it.

Editing your own writing can be like a form of self-abuse. Seriously. Stop and think about it. What are you doing when you edit your work? You are sitting there, knowing what you have written needs work. Knowing it isn’t as good as it could be. Knowing you’ve made mistakes. Knowing there are places that fall flat. Knowing, knowing, knowing.

So you have your nitpicking glasses on and your internal editor is fully caffeinated and ready to go.

All you see are your faults sitting on that page. All you do for hours is fix, fix, fix.

And then when you have reached the end, you turn around and go through the manuscript/article/what-have-you and do it again. And maybe even again. And every time you find something that could be better. Something that can be tightened, removed, or fixed.

It’s no wonder that some writers hate their work by the time they are done editing. It’s no wonder they are wondering if this writing thing is really for them. Writing is a part of you. And to pick apart your writing is to pick apart a piece of yourself. Over and over again.

No pressure…

But then… sometimes you surprise yourself. You get to the end and you feel refreshed, inspired, happy, and ready to climb any mountain. Why? Because you rock. You accomplished something. You didn’t just write all that, but you made it EVEN BETTER!

So next time you edit, go easy on yourself. If you are feeling that anvil of self-doubt dangling above your head about to drop at any moment and crush your very being… step back. Take a deep breath. Go do something you enjoy. Refresh your batteries. Write something new. Go for a walk. Then, when you are feeling more hopeful, come back and tackle it again. And for heaven’s sake, don’t try to fix everything in one go. Take several editing passes. The first one for the big stuff, the next one for smaller issues, and the final one for things like punctuation. Otherwise, it will take you forever and you will feel such agony that when your head inevitably crash lands on your keyboard, you won’t be able to lift it again.

So, when editing, be kind to yourself. Take it easy. Otherwise, either your manuscript or your self confidence is going to take a bad beating. And we don’t want that.

Trim, Trim, Trim Challenge: Update 4086

Hi.

While I try not to burn supper (fabulous breakfast-supper), I bring you this update. Hang on, gotta stir the scrambled eggs…okay. I am down to 23 single-spaced words to edit through. I am also down to…stir the hashbrowns. Rescue toast…93,485 words. At this point, I’m thinking about 92,500 could be a nice resting place with the manuscript. Turn off eggs. Honey on toast. In a few days, we’ll see how close. Salt hashbrowns. Unwrap bacon. Head to watch ‘My Little Pony movie’.

‘Til then…yours in editing,

Jean

Trim, Trim, Trim Challenge: Update 11

Still plugging away. I’ve had a headful of snot crowding the language lobe in my brain. So, I’ve been a little slow. However, I am pleased to mention that I am now down to 94, 533 words. That’s over 10,000 words I will likely never miss cut and released into the great world of binaries.

Separate note: Crispy Minis are no longer my friend. My daughter is trying to eat through a stack of 4 or 5. Imagine the crumbs. Then imagine some more. See how wide spread they are? Yes, it is amazing. Please note that I have no aspirations of attaining Domestic Goddess status. Now, imagine those crumbs again. Imagine my pain. Now, imagine the cooling relief of owning a Dustbuster and teaching a youngster how to use it.