When I was in college, I was obsessed with the idea of writing the perfect term paper. I didn’t have this as a conscious goal, but I spent hours rereading and revising my papers, to the point that it actually became a bit of a handicap. I would reread papers sometimes as many as fifty times, tweaking a not-so-perfect but still perfectly fine paper and ignoring other tasks piling up all around me.
After finally hearing the maxims “Perfect is the enemy of good” and “Perfect is the enemy of done,” I started to reevaluate my approach to writing and revision. I still probably reread, revised, tweaked, and tinkered with my essays after writing more than your average person, but I got a lot better at time management after I stopped doing dozens of passes on each one and without any drop in quality of my work.
A couple of months ago, we talked about how writers start their projects, but finishing them can be just as frustrating and agonizing.
My situation as an editor is different from my situation as a student. My editorial work usually doesn’t start until after the manuscript is finished (though I do provide assistance on works in progress as well). But because I generally need a complete manuscript, my advice to writers who are struggling to finish is “Perfect is the enemy of done.”
Done is good. I can work with done and so can you! If we’re waiting for perfect, then we both are going to be waiting a long time because there is no such thing as a perfect manuscript. Of course, if done is just completely eluding you, I can also help with that. In general, though, powering through and finishing that first (or fifth) draft is best, so the editing and revision process can begin. And at a certain point during editing and revision, perfect still remains the enemy of done, though at that point we have often shifted more into “Perfect is the enemy of good” territory.
Struggling to finish your manuscript? Done but unsure what to do next? I can help! I provide developmental editing on big-picture issues, copyediting, and assistance with the publishing process.
