3 signs perfectionism is roadblocking your writing (and 7 ways to overcome it)
Perfectionism. It’s a pesky thing. The need for things to be perfect in life, in our work, in our parenting, in our writing. But humans are inherently imperfect. Aiming for perfection is an unrealistic standard that only sets us up for failure.
Something we hear a lot about in the parenting space (and I say to my clients a lot), is not to aim for perfection. Good enough is good enough. The same is true for writing. Yes, we want to do our best and put our best work out there but let’s aim for the best we can do, or good enough, not perfect.
Perfectionism: Why is the bane of a writer’s existence?
Perfectionism is defined as the need to be or appear to be perfect. Most people who have perfectionistic traits will self-identify as a ‘perfectionist.’ Perfectionism is often described as a positive trait, as people who are perfectionists are likely to pay close attention to detail or only present things at a very high standard.
But there’s more to it than that. We all have strengths and weaknesses and while perfectionism has some advantages, it also has its downsides. Underneath the desire to be perfect is the fear of not being perfect. The fear of failure, of being judged or disapproved by others. There are lots of reasons why people may develop perfectionistic traits (such as having parents with unrealistically high expectations) but similar to any other trait like kindness or perseverance, there are advantages and disadvantages.
Perfectionists tend to ruminate on things, and when it comes to writing, they may mull over a word, a sentence or the entire piece without making any progress at all.
Read on to find out if perfectionism is road-blocking your writing.
3 signs of perfectionism in writing
1.You can’t get started because you want it to be perfect.
There’s no point starting if it’s not going to be perfect, right? Or you won’t start until you find the perfect angle, or the best opening line or a unique hook.
Getting started is the hard part. The anticipation anxiety of not knowing where to start or how it will look can make the whole scenario of sitting down to write very overwhelming.
2. You obsessively edit and can’t finish the piece
Do you struggle to finish an article because you’re agonizing over every word and how to make it sound just right? You probably edit as you go and can’t seem to move on because nothing you write is good enough. Sound familiar?
This can really take the fun out of writing. And trust me, writing can be fun! When you allow yourself to find a natural rhythm, of course. But when we jump back and forth from writing to editing, we’re activating different parts of our brain. So we’re switching between a creative experience to a task-oriented experience and this can really mess with the flow.
3.You're fearful of sharing your writing with others
If you do manage to finish a piece, do you hold on to it for dear life? Fearful of what people may think or say about your article, you don’t share it at all. You’re worried your writing isn’t good enough and so you miss the opportunity to be proven wrong.
This is actually not unique to perfectionists as it’s something that all writers face at some point in their creative journey. Writing, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, requires sharing part of yourself. It makes you vulnerable and anything that makes you feel vulnerable, is likely to make us feel scared.
7 ways to overcome perfectionism and write the thing!
Start with a draft and be firm with yourself that it is just a draft. A draft is meant to be messy and rough. That’s why it’s often called a rough draft! The draft is where you get down your ideas and figure out what you want to say. It doesn’t have to be perfect and it doesn’t even have to be good. It’s simply a starting point.
Write first, edit later. Make it a rule. You can only move forward, not backwards while drafting.
Try the Pomodoro technique. Set a timer for 25 mins and write. You can only write- no editing! After 25 minutes take a five minute break and if you wish, do another 25 minute sprint. The pressure of the time restraint will help you focus on the writing and focus less on the details.
Have time away from your draft before you edit. When you move straight from draft to edits you can be too close to the words and everything you write will seem awful. Give yourself some space so you can come back to it with fresh eyes. You’re more likely to be objective when you’re less emotionally invested in the piece.
Edit in three phases. If you have a habit of correcting spelling and grammatical mistakes as you go, only to rewrite entire paragraphs anyway then you are wasting valuable time. Try editing your article first structurally, then with a copy-edit and a final proofread.
Start with a structural edit. Think of this as the big-picture edit. Look at the opening line, the closing paragraph and the overall structure of the article. Is there an introduction, body and end? Is there a call to action? Are your ideas organised in the right subheadings?
Copy-edit. This is where you go back over your words and sentences. Don’t obsess over this, though. Reading it aloud can help. If you stumble over your words or you lose breath then the words are too complicated or the sentences are too long. Focus on readability and swap out any words that don’t feel right. Delete excessive detail, add more where needed.
Proofread. Now it’s time to pick up on any grammatical errors- as a perfectionist you will do a brilliant job at this!
Get feedback. Now share your work with someone you trust. Someone who will be respectful of your feelings but also provide constructive feedback so that you can improve your writing. Trust me, you’ll find that no matter how awful you think your writing is- it’s never that bad!
Now, allow your work to go public. Publish on your blog or pitch it to an editor. Whatever you do, don’t leave it sitting on your desktop gathering virtual dust.
Final words
Being a perfectionist can get in the way of starting, finishing or publishing a written piece but if you adopt a writing process that works to your strengths (and decreases the tendency to ruminate on your work) you can find a way to move forward with your blog post or article. Try to keep writing and editing separate and get feedback on your writing whenever possible to challenge those negative thoughts and give you a different perspective on your piece.
If you would like to workshop a written piece, get feedback, or support with pitching to a publication, check out my content coaching packages or contact me for customised support.