Banish the perfectionist

From Kristine Kathryn Rusch, some really wonderful words of wisdom about how perfection is the enemy of the good:

Is the story perfect? Of course not. No story is. Not a one. No matter how many times it’s “polished” and “fixed” and “improved.” No one can write a perfect story.

If such a thing existed, then we would all read the same books and enjoy them equally. We would watch the same movies and need reviewers to tell us only which movie is perfect and which one isn’t. We would buy the same comics, again, going only for the comic that is perfect, and ignoring all the others.

Am I telling people to write crap? No. Because the choice isn’t between crap and perfection. Those are false choices.

[…]

I also think that writers need to understand that they’re not writing for one editor or agent or for a small subset of people like a critique group. Writers write for readers.

And it’s up to the writer as to how to find those readers. As Sarah Hoyt said in last week’s comments, ask yourself, “How will this book best reach its audience?” The key words here are “book,” “reach,” and “audience.”

Not “How do I impress Editor A?” or “How do I get an agent?” But how does this book best reach its audience?

[…]

The question should never ever be, “How do I write the perfect novel?” because the perfect novel or short story or play or article or essay does not exist.

Read the whole essay here.

That you're writing for your readers, not your writerly peers or agent or editor, was a dormant bulb in my head that just blazed to light. If ever you needed permission to write straight from the heart, bypassing your inner critic almost completely, this is it.

Definitely worth a full read if you have time this sunny (at least here in New England) Friday.