Your novels are like your babies, so it’s only natural to tend to them as such, but how much is too much? When you have what I call Perfectionism Complex, you believe that your fiction writing must be perfect or everyone will hate it. This can leave some writers perfecting a manuscript so long that it may never get published, since in their eyes it is never ready. Most writers face some degree of wondering if their work is good enough. Here’s how Perfectionism Complex slows down the writing process.
Interruption Of A Steady Flow
If you get a steady flow going, the last thing you need is for anything to come along that stops that rhythm. Perfectionism Complex can do just that. Here you are flowing along and you think it’s a good time to run back and check for mistakes before moving on. Don’t do this! This is one of the worst times you could stop for editing. When your brain is ready to write, just let it flow. Do not let Perfectionism Complex slow down your writing process.
Writing Becomes Too Much Like Work
Perfectionism Complex can cause your writing to be a chore when you’re constantly going back over it while creating it. It’s a good thing to edit. It’s not a good thing for your mind to overly edit. If you find yourself picking too much at it, consider hiring out the editing side of things. This can help prevent your perfectionist brain from making too many changes and can also catch extra things you may not have thought of. Trying to do it all yourself can not only be frustrating, but may also slow things down significantly.
Less Time For Storyline And Character Development
Spending more time on perfecting the existing text can leave less time for developing the storyline and characters. When your goal is to have the perfect manuscript, the key lies in those two factors. Therefore, not only can it slow down your process, but it can actually do the opposite of what you’re reaching for.
Hyperfocusing On Perfectionism Over Quality
Having a Perfectionism Complex can leave you focused on the wrong things during the process of writing. In some ways, it helps some writers to hyperfocus on their text. However, when this focus is projected onto every aspect, it becomes a cumbersome task that can significantly slow down the writing process. Instead of perfecting every single word, consider the overall quality and how it pieces together.
When Perfectionism Complex is taking over your writing career, it’s important to look at the ways it may be slowing you down. Then, refocus and keep yourself on task to avoid some of the issues mentioned above. Knowing and understanding where the problem occurs and how to stop it from happening can help you combat this dangerous problem many writers face. Some may use techniques such as meditation before writing, listening to music while writing to stay in a groove, or having a Writing Buddy to keep them on track.
