“Writing Your Book and Making Sure It's Not Perfect.! --An Expert's How to Write a Book Step-by-Step Guide”
Got a problem about being a perfectionist? Here's how to get over it and get on with your dream of writing a book!
by Steve Manning
A big problem for writers is intelligence. Some people are just too smart to write well. There are many who do write well, but if a person is having a lot of trouble, chances are good their brain is in the way.
I see it a lot because quite a few of my students are university professors, doctors, lawyers, professionals of all varieties. These are smart folks. They know what they want to say, they're disciplined enough to get the job done, and they can string several words together to write a coherent sentence.
Their problem? They're perfectionists! They want their writing to be perfect, their manuscript to be flawless before they send it out into the world. The last thing they want is for someone out there to see their work and decide it's either not complete, or could be better.
Perfectionism is a huge problem for so many writers, particularly the very bright. It's a huge problem because while you can theoretically produce a manuscript that's perfect, the practical task is just overwhelming. I call it the Yehti manuscript. Everyone talks about it, but no one has actually seen one.
The real problem about perfectionism in writing is that it completely stymies the completion of a book. The writing is never good enough, there's always something that can be improved and so the author will never willingly let it go.
People become writing perfectionists for a number of reasons.
Time for a little unabashed, self promotion: If you haven’t asked for my Free CD, “How to Write a Book On Anything in 14 Days Guaranteed!” then you’re just plain nuts! It’s free, no charge, but you can bet this $100 CD will be carrying that price tag very shortly. How do you get it? Just email me at Free CD, Please, or CD_please@writeabooknow.com and make sure you include your name, your mailing address and your telephone number in the email. Now, back to the article…
Their career training might cause it. Academics have made entire careers from extreme excellence, if not perfection. They have a great deal of personal currency tied up in this ability to get it right. It has worked for them before, it's working for them now, and so it should be an effective tool for just about anything, including writing a book.
Personal credibility is next. No one likes to be laughed at because their work is incomplete or lacks merit. Perfectionism can even be a reason for procrastination, or at least an acceptable excuse. How come it's taking you so long to paint the bed room? I want it to be perfect. Oh, well, carry on, then.
And then there's a host of lesser reasons dating back to childhood or reaching into every relationship the person has ever had.
I have three words of advice for you if you're a perfectionist: Get Over It!
When it comes to writing a book, perfectionism is not a virtue. It's a hindrance. You can spend the rest of your life working on the first paragraph and never leave that challenge.
Your book will never be perfect. It will never be as good as you could have made it if you had more time, more experiences, more knowledge, more something else.
The saving grace amongst all this is that if you know before you start that your finished book will not be perfect you no longer have the pressure to make it so.
Okay, the book won't be perfect, the chapter structure may not be ultimately what you want, the sentences may not be written or presented in a way that best spotlights your ideas or the way you want a story to evolve. But that's normal. That's typical. That's what every author has to deal with and you can drive yourself crazy if you try to make your book perfect. And you should also realize that the world and the nature of information changes as well. Even the most up to date, perfectly written tome can be woefully antiquated by the time it gets onto the bookstore shelves.
You should also realize that you're doing your audience a real injustice if you try to perfect your book, and never publish as a result.
Those readers can benefit from what you have to say. There are ideas, values, strategies, concepts that are in your book, perfect or not, that they can use to make their lives better, or at lease a lot easier. Even the most mindless of fiction or the most mundane of non-fiction, can contribute to helping people, entertaining people, and make their lives better. That's why perfectionism should never be an issue for you.
The published book, no matter how inferior in content or creation, is infinitely better than the perfect book that has yet to be written. Write your book. It won't be perfect, But it will be wonderful.
While we're on the topic of strategies, and if you haven't already done so, feel free to
subscribe to my FREE on-line course, "How To Write A Book On
Anything in 14 Days... or Less" it's packed with tips, techniques
and tactics for writing your book faster than you ever thought possible! But
ONLY if you're SERIOUS about writing a book NOW!
Wait a minute! You mean you still don't have your writing program, "How to Write A Book On Anything in 14 Days Or Less... Guaranteed!"? Well click How to Write A Book!
Time for a little unabashed, self promotion: If you haven’t asked for my Free CD, “How to Write a Book On Anything in 14 Days Guaranteed!” then you’re just plain nuts! It’s free, no charge, but you can bet this $100 CD will be carrying that price tag very shortly. How do you get it? Just email me at Free CD, Please, or CD_please@writeabooknow.com and make sure you include your name, your mailing address and your telephone number in the email.
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