This month I am participating in Just Jot It January. Basically, what this means is I am committing to write every day in January and writing is loosely defined as anything from one sentence to an entire short story. Whatever, I feel like doing that day is ok, as long as I write something. There are prompts if I want to use them for each day but I am not required to use them.
Today’s prompt is “Persnickety”. An interesting word that has been applied to me frequently in my life, along with stubborn, hardheaded, perfectionist, and the dreaded word anal. My proclivity to be persnickety has been a road block to my blogging. I write and rewrite often spending an entire week just trying to perfect one post. It is exhausting and often causes me to end up not posting at all. I am hoping this exercise of just jotting this month will help me get over my perfectionistic tendency and learn to just write. I love to write but when I write for the public I put so much pressure on myself that it becomes unenjoyable. Time to love writing again by just jotting it down.
Am I alone in this or do you also spend a great deal of time trying to “perfect” your posts?
I do tend to edit my posts carefully, although I have been practicing doing some writing without editing at all because I participate in Linda’s Stream of Consciousness Saturdays. Correcting spelling is okay, but other editing is not. I’ve also been doing some free writing and writing from prompts with a time limit in my poetry groups, which is helping me to put things together more quickly.
I do! Sometimes to the point that I don’t even bother starting because I know it’ll be too much work. You’re not alone!
I’m copying your link to my daily (Jan. 1st) post. Just a reminder – if the Jan. 2nd post exists when you publish yours tomorrow, please link to it rather than the Rules post. Thanks!
I learned I can’t be overly picky about my writing on my blog. I can only edit so much myself and I don’t have another editor at my disposal as often as I blog. I am careful, but eventually it just has to be shared.
I do enjoy the stream of consciousness writing and I loved the weekly SoCS last year, so I am doing a whole month of that. Love it.
🙂
Look forward to reading more of yours. I am not too critical.