When it comes to writing, success isn’t a tangible goal. Imagine if all it took to get on The New York Times Bestsellers list were a few thousand words—dreams of becoming published wouldn’t have the same affect. Writers do not tend to strive for facts and figures, writers move toward meaning. We strive to have our work do justice to the subject and please both the audience and the self. Obviously professional critics can tear our work to shreds making our love and labor seem like nothing more than wasted ink on wasted paper. However, what is our audience’s ridicule compared to those judging words we throw at ourselves? Our self-judgment can be paralyzing enough to lead us to berate our own work until the negativity has mounted to such as point as never letting our metaphorical children see the world.
When has the written word become successful? When we, the creators, become confident enough to see its light. Yes, of course, the audience’s reaction is important, but just the fact that we’ve gained an audience is a triumph in its own.
We strive to obtain certain strength and meaning in our work, a value that is completely subjective. I’m a perfectionist; I need all parts of my work to be acceptable to me and act in support of my message, coming across gracefully yet powerfully.
I’ll take this opportunity to admit: I’m a writer who hasn’t been writing—terrible, right? I need to find and hold onto that passion that comes to me fleetingly, I need to become motivated enough to act on that passion, and I need to learn to allow my words to flow rather than trying to write that perfect first draft. I tend to take a longer than needed time writing, though I happen to love the art. I think I’ve found a source I can blame: pesky first drafts. Hopefully, I can grow as a writer and not let my perfectionism rest on the delete key.
~Nitesh Arora
Really interesting stuff here, Nitesh. As for the not writing, I'm pretty sure every writer in the world knows the feeling. We all go through periods of not having the time/motivation/ideas to write, whether that's a few days, weeks, or 30 years. I hope this class will be a good way for you to get back on the horse, as well as let your "perfectionism guard" down just enough to get some good (if not perfect) work down on paper!
ReplyDelete- Jessica
I too suffered from 'perfectionism' for far too long.
ReplyDeleteIn philosophy, the Greek word 'telos' is used to describe an 'end', 'purpose', or 'goal'. But this usage does not do the word justice. To fully understand the word, one must be aware of its connotations of perfection, and death.
The problem with perfectionism is there's no such thing as perfect. All that exists is flawed. Though this may seem a fallacious statement at first glance, further consideration reveals its validity, as soon as one tries to give an example of perfection.
So, in a very real sense, not perfect is about as perfect as one can get.
I sometimes take the position-I'm not perfect but I am perfect for this! Beyond every flaw is Beauty! So, I practically stopped thinking creatively and thought more technical because of the years and years of writing research and writing papers for class assignments.
ReplyDeleteC. Joseph Fontenot