You’re plagued by a demon, and his name is Perfection.
All day long, he walks beside you, poking you with his crooked, little pitchfork while screaming “It’s crap!”
The flames of doubt surround you, the cries of second guesses haunt you, and a creepy chorus keeps chanting that you’re in over your head.
Welcome, my friend, to Rough Draft Hell.
Perfection and his band of not-so-merry imps have just one thing in mind: to stop you from reaching the end.
They want you to turn back, to give up, or at least to spend the rest of your days needling over that one small piece, perpetually perfecting in circles.
These dirty, little devils know precisely what’s at stake and exactly what it’s worth. They know, even if you don’t , that should you press on and reach the end of Rough Draft Hell, you’ll be given a reward.
“But oh,” Perfection tells you, “It’s really not all that much. Certainly not worth the effort.”
You’re tempted to believe him, because the reward for forging through the flames is the Imperfect Lump of Clay.
“Just look at it,” Perfection hisses, “It’s ugly and misshapen.”
But the Imperfect Lump of Clay is just the thing you’ll need to reach the promised land, the Land of Finished Work. Without it, you’ll have nothing to mold, nothing to work with, and no way to reach your destination.
It’s your job to look Perfection in the eyes, let him know you’re onto him, and forge ahead.
Go ahead and let him follow. In the end, when you receive the Imperfect Lump of Clay, the demon will be transformed. No longer will he plague you. Instead, he’ll befriend and accompany you during the next stage of your journey, the trek along Editing Road.
Are you getting all the Quiet Inspiration you need? Subscribe to Quiet Inspiration, the Mildly Creative Newsletter. You can also subscribe to these blog posts via RSS feed or by Email.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, so that’s who was giving me fits today.
Sometimes it is the job of your Muse to throw up a Shield Charm between you and the demons. But when she’s busy with that job, sometimes the inspirations aren’t so strong. Sigh.
There are those who believe that perfection is inherently inhuman. The imperfections are our way of staying grounded, focused, and perfectly human.
Perfect timing… thanks so much for walking me through rough daft hell this week. You showed me that one of the ways to get out of rough draft hell is by sharing your rough draft with someone else.
Cath
.-= CathD´s last blog ..Why You Shouldn’t Take Making The World a Better Place Too Seriously =-.
I can occasionally get around this if I give myself the following assignment: Write something really crappy so you can feel great about your editing and rewriting skills later!
{ 1 trackback }