There’s something I’m working on letting go of, and it’s changing my writing life.
What an exciting time I’ve had during the first half of September - a Full Moon with a partial lunar eclipse, and I received two acceptances - one for a short story and one for a Pocket Novel that will come out in December.
Despite these powerful messages of validation, I once again felt myself spiral. What if they’re full of errors?
I even sent the novel to my Kindle, determined to reread the whole thing to ensure no errors remained. By Chapter 16, I finally gave myself a talking to. My acceptance email had included the word brilliant. What more did I want? Perfection?
What has saved me recently are a few lessons I’ve learned, sometimes the hard way, by seeing my work move from private draft to printed, public page.
Here is what I wish I’d known sooner:
LESSON 1
PERFECTIONISM HOLDS YOU BACK
Oh no! Not this old chestnut! Wait, though, because I’m going to give you some real-life examples.
My first short story went to print unedited by the magazine, and that was validating indeed! Bravo!
Others were trimmed for space. This is sometimes necessary due to the size of an illustration, for example. Once, the edits left a stray mention of “Alan”, who no longer existed in the story because his introduction had been cut!
Another time, my own silly mistake slipped through: I’d changed a timeline that mentioned 15 years to 10 and accidentally left both in. No-one picked up on it, and it went to print like that. Ooft.
Did it sting? Yes. Did the story still get published and read by thousands. Also, yes.
Errors creep into every publication - newspapers, TV subtitles, even books from the Big Five publishers. I cried over mine. Now, I recover faster, because if I waited for perfection, I’d never be published at all. Let’s say it again:
If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word
Margaret Atwood
LESSON 2
FOR STORY-TELLING, FLOW MAY MATTER MORE THAN POLISH
Have you ever had that irritating feeling on finishing a book, that it was simplistic…that even you could do better?! Most likely, it was not a literary novel but more of a commercial novel that sold by the bucketload. It may not have been polished, literary perfection, but it connected with readers through story and with flow.
I used to write a page, then spend hours perfecting every word. That method guaranteed beautiful sentences, but killed momentum - and I found it frustratingly difficult to ever finish anything to my satisfaction.
Now, I understand the importance of flow in a story. The ability to let the words move forward, knowing I’ll edit later. Trusting myself to make magic.
Writing this way makes long projects possible by keeping joy in the process. Readers will feel that flow. There is, of course, no one way to complete your writing - I’m simply sharing mine.
LESSON 3
YOU’RE NOT IN CHARGE OF EVERYTHING
When you submit to a magazine or publisher, the work becomes part of a bigger machine. Titles get changed, illustrations take up space, sentences vanish, and typesetting errors appear.
Do I always like it? No. But have I learned to live with it, yes. I am paid for the story, and the publisher knows their audience well enough to choose a good title.
At that point, my only job is to move onto the next piece. That isn’t easy whilst you await (hopefully) an acceptance, but the next piece of work is all you are in charge of.
Writers often forget this, but let’s repeat it:
You are only in charge of the words you write and the words you submit. What happens next is out of your hands.
LESSON 4
NOT EVERYONE IS YOUR AUDIENCE
When I started writing fiction, I thought I was writing for everyone. Now I know better.
My feel-good short stories and pocket novels are for one audience; my crime/thrillers are for another. My essays are most likely not of interest to either of those audiences! I know, I know, sometimes they might cross over, but generally those audiences are seeking different things from their reading.
Each group looks for different things, and that’s ok. Your work won’t and shouldn’t be for everyone.
A writer friend recently commented to me: “You’re on fire! You’ve nailed this genre of writing.”
The key is to know who you are writing for and ensure you meet their needs.
LESSON 5
SUBMISSION MEANS JUDGEMENT, BUT YOU CAN SURVIVE IT
As I said earlier, even now, before a story or novel goes out into the world, I can lose sleep. Will people judge? Of course. Readers always do. But if they enjoy the story, we can hope they will judge kindly. If they spot a typo, most will forgive.
The greater danger is being so afraid of a typo or error that you will never put your work out there to be read at all.
FINALLY
Here’s what I’ve been reminded of this week, whilst I worried about publication of these pieces (lucky me, honestly, what a twit I can be!!)
Let go of perfectionism (at least be aware of it, and work to let go a little)
Write with flow, not fear
Accept that mistakes and edits are just part of the process (hopefully you’ll catch them all later, or an editor will)
Remember your audience is specific and not universal (you don’t have to please everyone!)
Submit anyway - because only submitted work will be published and read (and of course you need no-one else’s permission! You can publish yourself, even here, right here, on Substack - but you need to write it, and you need to press the Send button!)
So, if you find yourself hesitating this week, don’t.
Sit down and write.
Don’t hold yourself back planning for perfection. Get the nuts and bolts down. No one else needs to see it until you decide you are ready.
And when you press send, errors or no errors, your words deserve to be read.
Sending all the good writing vibes your way, from Jackie in the Little Writing Corner x x
PS: A little last minute edit. Of course, you should always send your “best” work - we should always proofread our own work the best we can. But maybe just don’t do it before you’re finished! And don’t over-do the edits - or your work will sound “strangled”.
Coming soon:
short story A Thrilling Connection
and in December, a Pocket Novel: Sign Your Name Across My Heart
Photo by Jackie Morrison: I bought a new notebook for a new thing!
If any of my words have helped in way, please consider sharing them by restacking or commenting. It helps me feel less alone in my endeavours - and may help a friend, or even connect you with others. Thank you.
