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Rank: Member
Joined: 1/15/2012
Posts: 111
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Location: United States, CA
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My writing project has become bogged down because I'm never satisfied with my writing. What should I do?
It is like the sound of one hand clapping.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/1/2011
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Location: United Kingdom
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A start would be to acknowledge that there is no such thing as perfection in writing. There are many ways of skinning a rabbit, but the end is about the same. Be a bit more modest.
Think more of pleasing your reader. A strong storyline... good characterisation and a fast moving tale, etcetera, are often more important than exactitude in word choice.
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 5/14/2010
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Location: Argentina
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Try another language.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 4/16/2009
Posts: 809
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Location: Alaska
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Find someone to be your editor. It doesn't have to be formal, just someone with good reading skills and can give an honest critique and is willing to discuss your work with you.
"Always wash your hands and say your prayers for germs and Jesus are everywhere." -Naomi Judd
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 7/12/2010
Posts: 864
Points: 2,549
Location: Tuscany, Italy
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I'm with TL Hobs. Used to be perfectionist in my job, but after a couple of months sick leave I quit perfectinism.
Give a man a fish you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime - Chinese proverb
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 2/7/2010
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Location: Philippines
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LCouperin wrote:My writing project has become bogged down because I'm never satisfied with my writing. What should I do? Thank your maker for the gift of seeking to be perfect. Accept what you are, but be kind to yourself, and learn to call it a day when you're too exhausted to carry on. You may never satisfy yourself, but be happy with your progress, and you will make far more progress than the legions of mediocre writers who will never achieve anything great because editing for them is just too much of a drag.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 2/13/2010
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Location: United States
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I was going to say, hire a teenager to be your friend, perhaps some sloppy habits and sloth will rub off onto you, but seriously:
Agree with the posts suggesting that you have someone edit.
Also, be clear in your mind what you are trying to achieve. Have clear goals, once they are met, you should know when to put down the pen or step away from the keyboard. If your goals are unclear, then you'll always have a sense that the job may be incomplete.
"Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless, and do no wrong". (Knight's Oath, Kingdom of Heaven)
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Rank: Member
Joined: 1/15/2012
Posts: 111
Points: 333
Location: United States, CA
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HWNN1961 wrote:I was going to say, hire a teenager to be your friend, perhaps some sloppy habits and sloth will rub off onto you, but seriously:
Agree with the posts suggesting that you have someone edit.
Also, be clear in your mind what you are trying to achieve. Have clear goals, once they are met, you should know when to put down the pen or step away from the keyboard. If your goals are unclear, then you'll always have a sense that the job may be incomplete. Your signature indicates that you advocate Kant's categorical imperative. No?
It is like the sound of one hand clapping.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 2/13/2010
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Location: United States
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LC,
I see the quote as a rephrasing of the 11th commandment, to love thy neighbor as thyelf. With the added responsibility that comes with being a Knight, as a member of the powerful elite, to care for those that cannot fend for themselves.
Kant's absolutism seems a bit rigid for mere mortals.
"Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless, and do no wrong". (Knight's Oath, Kingdom of Heaven)
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Location: United Kingdom
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Here is a post-Kantian take on things of beauty (used to be in the Tate Modern) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIzXWGcb3u0
"Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon" Suzanne Ertz
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/21/2009
Posts: 1,449
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Location: Pakistan
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I second dingdong. Nothing wrong being a perfectionist. It's indeed a gifted potential to make things happen even perfectly.
Writing better is a complex set of attitudes. Perfectionism may not neccessarily be the hurdle, it may simply, be an unskilled flow of ideas that certainly, can be reduced by practice. I would suggest only one thing: PRACTICE.
Practice is key to all the problems on your table.
*It's wonderful to know that all languages are Greek if not understood.*
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