Free to Be Me . . . with my writing

"‘Cause I got a couple dents in my fender
Got a couple rips in my jeans
Try to fit the pieces together
But perfection is my enemy
On my own I'm so clumsy
But on Your shoulders I can see
I'm free to be me"
by Francesca Battistelli

Ever felt like you had a couple dents in your fender? Rips in your jeans? Like perfection is your enemy?

Self-editing and being edited by writing friends can be a challenging process for me, whether I'm asking someone to check out my blog, read a story I've written, proofread a devotional or check my poetry for a sense of rhythm. (BTW, rhythm is one of those words I mispell every time I use it.)

Sometimes, like in my parentheses above, my "inner" editor is just plain hard to ignore. Sometimes I think I need to listen to it, see my mistakes, improve as I go, and write for excellence.

However, sometimes I just want to put on my ripped jeans, drive my car with dents, and write with a flow that comes from leaving the worries behind.

The idea of writing perfection, checking off all the "right" ways to write on that list that builds in my head when reading "writing" book, can leave me staring at a blank screen, frozen.

There are several ways I fight that freeze.
1. Turn on music and get a little dancing exercise.
2. Write a poem.
3. Freewrite like mad for 10 minutes.
4. Write a 4, or 5, sentence exercise.
5. Blog.
6. Read a book that has nothing to do with improving my writing.
7. Pray, climb up on God's shoulders, and get a better view.

So, what about you? Do you ever fight with an enemy called perfection? And if you do, how do you fight it?

Two other blog posts I've read recently that touch on this topic are at: Silver Lining dealing with the battles we face as writers,and Confident Writing which deals with the difference between "focus and flow" while writing.

And, if you don't know the song I'm quoting up above, be sure to check out Francesca Battistelli's Free to Be Me

Hope you are having a "free to be you" kind of day! Blessings!