Perfectionism is the foe of the creative soul. It fills us with self-doubt and can prevent us from feeling that any project is ever complete. Worse, it can prevent us from starting a project that we believe in, because if we can’t create perfectly, why create at all? Sticking to projects that promise a safe, predictable outcome means that our creativity becomes stagnant.
In a guest post on Jane Friedman’s blog, book coach Heather Campbell offers advice for overcoming the need to be perfect in your writing. Campbell also had trouble finishing projects or tackling an idea that would require her to stretch. “The writing process is at odds with perfectionism,” she writes. “It’s inherently messy and full of mistakes. It requires diligent practice and a willingness to explore ideas or techniques without promise of a good outcome. And writing feels deeply personal, possibly connected to our self-worth.”
Perfectionism creates a lot of bad habits: procrastination, avoidance, indecision, and over- or under-planning. It helps us create excuses: “I would have done better if I’d planned more, hadn’t waited, made a decision earlier…” The good news, Campbell says, is that you can overcome this mindset and develop better habits.
Instead of the fixed mindset of the perfectionist – which creates the fear that you will never be perfect – Campbell says we should adopt a growth mindset – a belief that we can develop the skills and talent we need with time and practices. Here’s how you can break these unhelpful thinking habits:
- Be aware of them. Before you can change, you need to be aware of the need to change. Start a journal about your writing process: ask why you don’t write as often as you’d like or why you don’t finish projects.
- Create a new belief system. Pick one good belief you’d like to cultivate. “I work on projects until they’re finished” is a good one. Make a list of times you finished a project, including writing projects. When you find yourself doubting whether you’ll finish a story, review your list of accomplishments and reinforce your new self-belief.
- Create structure around your new habits. “A plan, a writing schedule, and a routine can help you show up for your writing more consistently,” Campbell says. “Structure gives you a clear path to achieve your writing goals, it eliminates overwhelm and decision fatigue, and it keeps you accountable.” Every day you show up for your writing time, you reinforce your new mindset.
- Embrace progress over outcome. Perfectionists tie self-worth to perfect outcomes, but writing requires patience, experimentation, and revisions. Your daily writing session can be successful even if you don’t finish a scene or hit your word count goal. Discovering what doesn’t work also counts as writing success because you’ve taken a step closer to finding out what does. “Challenge yourself to focus on the incremental progress you make, not on achieving flawless writing,” Campbell says. You won’t get it perfect right away, but with practice, you can calm those perfectionist thoughts.
