What if…you always have choice (but no control)?
I’m keeping this concise as it is at the forefront of my mind as well as being in keeping with what this piece is about. I’d love to hear what comes up for you once you’ve read as much as you read (because we don’t need to absorb every part of something in order to get something or the most from something).
What if we didn’t have to struggle for our art? What if we didn’t have to struggle in spaces of play and imagination and creativity?
I’m a member of a writer’s community, and know multiple people who have voiced their desire to publish a book of some kind. The vast majority of them, be they at the editing stage or not, have stated how much they:
- dislike editing
- are scared of editing
- think editing is really difficult
- are bored by editing
What are your thoughts on editing? We all do it; perhaps for Substack pieces, multi-novel series, text messages or in-person conversations. Don’t like it. Do less of it. That sounds overly simplistic, but if you don’t enjoy it, why choose to exist in that space for longer than feels comfortable, pleasurable or necessary. After all, you’ve written the thing (even if it’s that response in your head). Don’t like it. Do less of it.
Does that get your back up?
You — That’s all well and good, Paul, but I want the thing to be good.
Me — There are already really good bits in there.
Does it make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up?
You — I’ve got to make sure there are no mistakes in there. It’s got to make sense.
Me — Someone will notice a mistake regardless. And that’s ok. It will not all make sense for everyone, regardless.
Let’s say you’ve written a story (regardless of how it ended up compared to the ‘perfect’ version you developed in your mind’s eye over time). It then gets to be true you did the thing you said you wanted to do. In which case, you get to share it as it is.
Right?
Or are there other things that need to happen in order to make the process worth it? Global success? Make your money back? Receive validation from your family or friends or an old teacher who’s dead know but questioned your capacity for writing a story? You haven’t struggled enough? It’s ok if any or all of these things feel true to you; it’s simply additional information that perhaps the story was more a vehicle for receiving something else you felt you wanted or needed.
So share the story. You still have choice. Ever seen a second edition of a book that has had some changes made? Exactly. You always get to make new choices and some of those new choices will only present themselves once you have relinquished it from your solo ownership (and perception of control).
Editing is a barrier created to emphasise the comparison conundrum, to incite our Shoulds to be louder and to generate more struggle for creatives because we’re fed the BS that ‘we struggle for our art’.
What if we didn’t have to struggle for our art? What if we didn’t have to struggle in spaces of play and imagination and creativity?
I probably have more words on this topic, and maybe I want to change how I’ve said some of the ones above, but those are choices for another time.
Much ginger love 🧡
