The fallacy of perfection and contradiction of consistency

I’ve been wondering of late how any writer knows when enough is enough? I heard somewhere or another, probably on a podcast declare ‘there are no perfect novels, only perfect ideas’. My interpretation of this is while I strive for perfection, a noble goal, in reality as soon as I translate an idea, a story concept into words it loses some of the polish, its precision and clarity. Can’t be helped as the use of words is a limited medium. Like most people I don’t have the decades of experience to be able to get anywhere near perfection with my writing.

My point, yes there actually is one here somewhere, is I’ve been trying for the last week to chisel away at the start of Impatience to make it perfect. I now realise this is never going to happen. It’s impossible. What’s perfect or close to it for me, might not communicate to the reader what needs to be derived from the start.

I understand now I need to work towards the best possible balance. Focus on the key points, ensure they are communicated clearly. Don’t get hung up over what I, in my limited point of view, think might be best. I need to be more clinical and not so emotionally involved. Actually, I need to do both but at different times and take a third look to ensure this balance remains.

Man editing is hard work. … Luckily, I’m a hard worker

Oh yeah the contradiction of consistency thing, here goes. I find when I revisit my own work, like I’ve been doing lately, I can practically see the variations in my moods coming through in the various sections. Once again, being consistent is another worthwhile goal however a ridiculous one, at least for someone like me. When I write I go with the flow and have been known to embellish here and there. I admit I’m heavily influenced by my moods. if I’m in a good mood my characters often come across a bit more upbeat. When I’m tired, down or like right now a bit under the weather, it sometimes translates into my work.

Bummer.

A large 100,000+ manuscript takes me 6 – 12 months to write. There’s simply no way I can be consistent across that timeframe because, well, life often gets in the way.

Back to the grind…

J.