Perfection

For those of you who don't know, I am sort of a perfectionist.  It can be both a good and bad thing.  On the one hand, it's good to strive for perfection.  Nobody is perfect, especially on their first attempt.  Honing your skills will ultimately lead to improved results, no matter what the craft. On the other hand, being in a state of constant dissatisfaction with yourself is extremely stressful and can sometimes lead to depression.

My perfectionism is especially bad when it comes to my writing.  I want so desperately to be a great writer, for my words to evoke the kinds of beautiful daydreams I often have when reading the work of others.  Sometimes I'll get so worked up over my writing I'll bite my nails down to nothing and end up with a migraine.  To make matters worse, I can be a fairly impatient person who is easily discouraged.  This can lead to the mentality, "I need perfection and I need it NOW!"  What I need is to learn to take a breath and relax, realize that good writing takes time, and try to be confident that, eventually, the words will come.

On a related note, I have revised my poem, Wind-up Toys, for the third time now.  The third revision is not nearly as significant an overhaul as the second.  Basically, I just rearranged the second stanza a bit in an effort to make it "flow" better.  Check it out and let me know what you think.  Hopefully I haven't butchered it completely.