Done is Better Than Perfect
- By: Jessica Faust | Date: Jan 18 2017
As writers our goal is to make our book perfect. It’s what revisions and edits are all about and it’s what agents always say the book needs to be before you submit. And they are right. Never submit a book until it’s perfect. However, perfect isn’t really perfect and done is always better than perfect.
I’ve met a lot of writers over the years and I’ve learned a lot about the writing process. The biggest is that no one ever thinks the book is perfect. Not when it’s done, not when it’s sent to an editor and not even when it’s published. That being said, writers do think the book is done. They can go no further, there’s nothing more that can be changed. The book is done.
Finishing something, labeling it as done is a huge motivator. It propels us forward to the next step with a huge feeling of accomplishment. It gives us momentum and momentum is one of the keys to success. Life isn’t perfect and your book probably won’t be either, but don’t be afraid to type The End and label what you’ve written as Done. That doesn’t mean you won’t need revisions or edits or a beta reader, it just means that you have accomplished something incredible. You are done with your book. And that’s the first step to the next step.
And with that, this blog post, while not perfect, is done.
I always think of it as, “This book is as perfect as I can make it myself.” Meaning, my editor will probably make it more perfect.
Oh, yes, indeed. I for one have written three novels so far, two short stories, and I’m working on the fourth, but I feel only the first novel is truly done. It mirrors perfectly what could be done at the time, my skill as a writer at the time, and I’m pretty proud of it. The others still feel a bit like construction sites though, and I’m still hovering over them, but I can’t say I’m going overboard. It’s like it used to be with smoking, you know, “I can stop anytime,” LOL.