Dream Killers for Writers

 

By Andrea Merrell

I am a recovering perfectionist. But after having a conversation with a friend and mentor about revising one of my books, I realize I haven’t recovered as much as I thought.

As one of those writers who loves large blocks of time, I tend to put projects off—waiting until I have more time. I want everything to be perfect. I envy those writers who can sit down, focus their full attention on their projects, and write in fifteen to thirty minute increments. That is a skill and discipline I must learn.

My point here is that my perfectionism leads to procrastination. Someone once said when these two Ps join together, they are definite dream killers.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us there is a season for everything, a time for every activity under heaven (NLT).

In Ecclesiastes 11:4 we read, When clouds are heavy, the rains come down. Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls. Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

The Message make it plain and simple: When the clouds are full of water, it rains. When the wind blows down a tree, it lies where it falls. Don’t sit there watching the wind. Do your own work. Don’t stare at the clouds. Get on with your life.

In other words, if all we do is think about writing and talk about writing but never get ourselves in gear and write, we accomplish nothing. If God has given us words to share, we need to get on with it.

Whether you’re a plotter, panster, or somewhere in between, don’t wait for perfect conditions or the perfect time. When we commit our gifts and time to the Lord, He will  partner with us and bless our efforts.

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.)

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Don’t let perfectionism and procrastination derail your writing and kill your dreams. via @AndreaMerrell(Click to tweet.)