I practice my writing by writing a lot. (I also read a lot about writing, but no one becomes a better writer by reading. Writers become better by writing.) In addition, I take classes to stretch my skills. That means I’m not going to “succeed” or write something “perfect” all the time. But I do need to finish it—to get it done to see what I achieved with this practice. That means I often choose progress in the form of “done” over “perfect.”
Most of my clients don’t do that. Too often, they try to choose perfection over “done.” Instead of releasing an incomplete product, they focus on perfection, not getting something done and seeing their progress.
We have some similarities in our product development:
- I have ideal readers. My clients have ideal users.
- We both need feedback to see if we met the reader/user expectations.
- That often means we both need to finish something enough for feedback.
Other people need to see it, to decide if it is done or perfect enough.
How good must something be to release it? Is it possible to have a “perfect” piece of writing or product?
The short answer is No. Perfection is not possible because we all write and create products for individual humans.
What if we reframe “perfection” as sufficient value to users? We might be able to achieve enough perfection then.
How Does Perfection Intersect with Value?
In the arts, such as writing, it’s not possible to create something perfect. That’s because it’s not about perfecting the product as much as it is about perfecting the reader/observer’s reaction to the product. That’s where the value to the reader/user intersects with perfection.
I’ve read many books that I loved. These writers did not write “perfect” books. At the craft level, they had problems. But I loved the story, so I loved the book. I’m delighted that writer finished that book and released it, because the book was perfect for me.
On the other hand, I dislike several of the so-called classics. For example, I cannot get through Pride and Prejudice. I’ve tried several times and it bores me so much I put it down. Some of you are yelling, “Shame on you, Johanna!” because you love that book. You think that book is perfect because it offers the value of terrific reading. It is perfect for you—and not for me.
But we can have that discussion, because Austen finished the book. She offered value to her centuries-later readers.
Finishing Enough Does Not Mean Releasing Garbage
When I talk about the issues of perfection vs finishing, I’m not suggesting we produce garbage. However, we do need to see our progress.
For example, while I don’t ask for feedback in my fiction, I also don’t release it “broken.” Instead, I read it once I’m done and fix the typos. I ask my editor to let me know where I’ve made mistakes and then to copyedit it. I fix those problems and publish it. The value—the perfection—lies in the entertainment. Not how I organized the words.
On the other hand, the value of my nonfiction is how I support my readers rethinking how they work now. I write-and-release my blog posts and articles because they are short enough that I can often see what I have (or have not!) done correctly.
But I treat books differently. I often need developmental editing because I excel at organizing “wrong” the first time through the manuscript. In addition, I ask for technical review because these early readers will help me perfect the ideas. I also use a copyeditor once I think I’m done, so the readers can use these idea.
There’s a tradeoff between perfecting vs finishing. For writing, it’s almost never worth perfecting the words. It is work perfecting the story (fiction) or clarifying the facts (nonfiction).
And while it depends on the user’s potential risks, it’s almost always better to release incrementally for feedback. That’s less risky than trying to perfect and then release an entire finished product. Progress over perfection.
That’s the question this week: When do you choose between getting something “perfect” vs. finishing it?