"But our creativity comes out to play when we have no idea what we’re doing. This is not always a comfortable feeling. Most of us like feeling competent. I mean, if I’m a writer, shouldn’t I know what I’m doing when I write?" -- Oof, it's like you were in my head!
LOVE THIS! I was just wondering the other day if someone would fact-check my reference to the type of funeral flowers available in Whitehorse in January of 1996. HA! It brings me relief that we have all been there. And, as always, great advice to "Write the book that calls to you now". It's called on you for a reason, right? Thank you for the reminder. (And yes, I will still call a florist in Whitehorse and ask about fresh flower availability in January...)
Oh boy…it’s good, in a perverse sort of way, to realize that this is a common struggle…and solidarity in that. But damn…perfectionism can be such a pisser. Thanks for another great read Sonal.
May 4, 2023·edited May 4, 2023Liked by Sonal Champsee
YES. Yes so many times. "Precious might be re-arranging the pillows three or four times to get it just so in order to sleep. Perfectionists don’t sleep."
I felt this bit in my bones. And then I laughed, because I both arrange pillows to get comfy, AND I read more books than most people I know ˆbecauseˆI don't sleep. Or at least not as well as most other people.
This is where I get tangled up -- when the things that we drive ourselves crazy about as writers get tied to the things we think make us good writers. The obsessing about names and choosing the right one is something I notice in books, but I am so with you that I have never fact checked a weather report in my life, certainly not in fiction. (Isn't that the point of fiction??)
Your point about rewriting a book that's been lost feels apt here too: not only is the rewritten lost book a different book, the book that isn't a torturous one written by our perfectionist selves is a different book, too. After reading this, I am wondering if perhaps it might also be a better book? The thought that it could be makes me giddy. Thank you!
"But our creativity comes out to play when we have no idea what we’re doing. This is not always a comfortable feeling. Most of us like feeling competent. I mean, if I’m a writer, shouldn’t I know what I’m doing when I write?" -- Oof, it's like you were in my head!
LOVE THIS! I was just wondering the other day if someone would fact-check my reference to the type of funeral flowers available in Whitehorse in January of 1996. HA! It brings me relief that we have all been there. And, as always, great advice to "Write the book that calls to you now". It's called on you for a reason, right? Thank you for the reminder. (And yes, I will still call a florist in Whitehorse and ask about fresh flower availability in January...)
Oh boy…it’s good, in a perverse sort of way, to realize that this is a common struggle…and solidarity in that. But damn…perfectionism can be such a pisser. Thanks for another great read Sonal.
YES. Yes so many times. "Precious might be re-arranging the pillows three or four times to get it just so in order to sleep. Perfectionists don’t sleep."
I felt this bit in my bones. And then I laughed, because I both arrange pillows to get comfy, AND I read more books than most people I know ˆbecauseˆI don't sleep. Or at least not as well as most other people.
This is where I get tangled up -- when the things that we drive ourselves crazy about as writers get tied to the things we think make us good writers. The obsessing about names and choosing the right one is something I notice in books, but I am so with you that I have never fact checked a weather report in my life, certainly not in fiction. (Isn't that the point of fiction??)
Your point about rewriting a book that's been lost feels apt here too: not only is the rewritten lost book a different book, the book that isn't a torturous one written by our perfectionist selves is a different book, too. After reading this, I am wondering if perhaps it might also be a better book? The thought that it could be makes me giddy. Thank you!