One of the biggest mistakes writers make is trying to do everything perfectly, immediately. Anne Lamott, author of Bird by Bird, writes,
“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. Perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness, playfulness and life force.”
Most people discover that when they learn to turn off the inner critic, let go of the need to be perfect and begin to trust the process and the power of their imagination, magic happens on the page and in their stories.
According to writing teacher and author, Jerry Cleaver, people get into trouble and waste an awful lot of time because they don’t understand the rules of the creative process, which are very different from the way most of us tackle problems in life.
“Creativity involves an unusual and contrary set of laws. If you violate them, you will expend enormous amounts of energy and get nowhere.”
If you want to write you have to understand the following:
1. You will make a mess
Creating stories is never a neat, orderly or predictable process. Mess is inevitable. You make a mess. You clean it up. You lose your way. You find it again.
2. You must write badly first
Trying to get it perfect right away will only get you blocked. Writers write a number of drafts to get it right. You’ll do better if you lower your expectations.
3. Mistakes lead to discovery
This is a game of mistakes. Mistakes and uncertainty are good. They create a new combination of possibilities. Good and bad go hand in hand. Letting yourself be bad is the best way to become good.
I once met a man at a writing conference, who told me how he’d once managed a team of inventors. He said that what he tried to do with them was to accelerate the process of making mistakes. The reason he did this, was because making mistakes was the quickest route to the next breakthrough.
So don’t be put off by so-called mistakes. Mistakes are part of the creative process. Dare we say it, they are just opportunities in disguise. They invariably teach us something that will take us to the next level, if we’re open enough to let them.
Remember, a professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.
Roland Fishman created The Writers’ Studio in 1992. The Writers’ Studio runs live courses at their studio in Bronte, Sydney and online courses for all locations. Visit www.writerstudio.com.au for course information.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
