Keila’s Korner -

A Bi-weekly article for Proud ViM Productions:

I am not a grammar specialist, nor perfected in my punctuation skills. I’m not sure of story structure or character development, but what I can say comfortably is that all of these skills have improved dramatically over the last several years because I have made the choice to offer my work to the world in exchange for feedback. I am learning.

We all want to be perfect. We’re all a little afraid of judgment, and we desire for our stories to be considered as genius. Existing within this delusion invites procrastination - a formula to never find success as a writer, but to keep one forever safe from displaying vulnerability, and learning through humility. The truth – perfection is an unattainable attribute, and we are all subject to judgment no matter what. The good thing about being human, is that we get to choose whose judgment is important to us.

Remaining a writer-in-private is probably an okay place to be mentally if you’re greatest goal for writing is only to appease yourself, which in its own right, provides a person many benefits. But if one wishes to succeed as an author, written works must be provided for public consumption.

You, as writer, must decide whether it is more important to remain feeling comfortable by not sharing, or to open yourself up to the opportunity to improve. That is an individual choice, and it’s completely up to you. But it does require choice, which requires honesty. That honesty is for yourself, and requires deep reflection. What do you really want?

OK – I’m not trying to be some self-help guru here, just maybe provide some insight garnered from my own experience.

Perfectionism can be beneficial in some ways. It can provide your readers with a pleasant experience when you, as the writer, do care a great deal. It shows, as it should.

Perfectionism, though, if not kept in check, can become a detrimental habit of procrastination. For instance, I’ve been procrastinating writing this article because this is an important topic to me and I want to portray it well. Therefore, if I hold on to it because “I want to add just the right information so it has the impact I want” becomes an excuse for not publishing, and an exercise in self-sabotage. The reality is that if I don’t put my words into the public domain, I remain safe from judgment. It also becomes selfish because there may be another person out there who might read my words and benefit greatly from them. If I withhold this information, maybe it’s an act of arrogance. Why do I feel my words are so special that they can avoid judgment if I make them perfect? What makes me think I can attain perfect, especially alone? I won’t improve without receiving knowledge of what needs to be improved upon, so how could I make it better without some sort of feedback? Since I’ve been there, let me tell you – progress is slow, if not stagnant.

Even if you aren’t quite ready to post your written stories, generate support for yourself by reading and commenting authentically on other’s work - it helps you learn what you like and don’t like in writing so that you can speak your own message more clearly and, by commenting genuinely, consistently and supportively, you can build friendships and confidence.

This is probably not my best article, but I’m looking for your input in the comments below so that I may include your ideas in future articles:

What did you like? What would you like to see expanded upon, or clarified? Is there a specific issue regarding perfectionism in writing you would like to see addressed?

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Next time, I’d like to talk about voice, as in -

How do you find yours? How do you recognize it? How do you develop it?

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