Delaying the Editing for Later

Maybe some of my perfectionist friends can relate to this.

I was working on writing some music tonight, and I was struggling to get the juices flowing, and it occurred to me why.  See if you relate.

I realized, though not for the first time, that I don’t like the “draft.”

I don’t naturally do “rough draft.”

And that’s a problem.  It slows me down.

What do I mean?

We perfectionists (“recovering perfectionists” if you like) find the rough draft difficult.  We don’t like it.

We want it to come out perfect on the first try. (Maybe we just think we’re that good.  I think there’s a word for that.)

We struggle with the draft because we are editing the words, the paper, the music, before it come out or as it come out.

Maybe it’s the perfectionism.  Maybe it’s the introverted nature.

Whatever the reason, we post-pone projects, delay answering, look like we’re not listening because we are editing.

We are editing the thoughts before they come out.

We are editing the writing before we even put down the first draft.

And so we make our friends wait.

We put off starting the project.

We delay because we don’t realize the power of the draft.

[bctt tweet=”We delay because we don’t realize the power of the draft.”]

So, fellow perfectionist-introvert-editor person, join me in getting that draft out on paper.

Just start putting down the words.

Answer your friends question.

The editing can wait. The words will still be on the computer screen later.

You’ll have the rest of the conversation to edit.

And in close personal relationships, sometimes the other party needs the unedited you. It helps them know you.

(That’s what my wife tells me anyway.)

[This post was slightly…med…heavily edited…never mind.]

If you can relate, let me know in the comments.