Let go of perfectionism and embrace the beauty of imperfection from "summary" of The Art of Writing Badly by Richard Chandler Borden
Perfectionism can be a cruel master, a relentless taskmaster that demands flawlessness in every word, every sentence, every paragraph. It whispers in your ear that anything less than perfection is a failure, a mark of incompetence. It drives you to endlessly revise, tweak, and refine, never satisfied with the words on the page. But what if I were to tell you that perfectionism is a trap, a snare that keeps you from truly expressing yourself?Embracing imperfection is about letting go of the need to be flawless, of embracing the messiness, the rough edges, the flaws that make your writing uniquely yours. It's about allowing yourself to make mistakes, to stumble and fall, and then pick yourself back up and keep going. It's about understanding that imperfection is not a sign of weakness, but a badge of authenticity.
When you embrace imperfection, you free yourself from the shackles of perfectionism. You give yourself permission to take risks, to experiment, to play with language and form. You allow yourself to be vulnerable, to show your rough drafts and works-in-progress to others without fear of judgment. You understand that writing is a process, a journey of discovery and growth, not a destination to be reached.
Imperfection is beautiful because it is real. It is the cracks in the facade, the chinks in the armor, that allow the light to shine through. It is the quirks, the idiosyncrasies, the imperfections that make your writing come alive, that give it depth and texture. It is the humanity, the vulnerability, the rawness that connect with readers on a visceral level.
So let go of perfectionism, dear writer, and embrace the beauty of imperfection. Embrace the messy, the imperfect, the flawed. Embrace the process, the journey, the growth. Embrace your unique voice, your authentic self. And watch as your writing transforms from sterile perfection to vibrant imperfection, from lifeless words on a page to living, breathing art.
