Jehovah was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake: Jehovah was not in the earthquake.
And after the earthquake, a fire: Jehovah was not in the fire. And after the fire, a soft gentle voice. (1Kings 19:11-12)

Thursday, October 11, 2012

The Writer’s Greatest Hurdle {Day 11}


I sat bolt upright in bed when I read this by Ruth Vaughn, 'Write to Discover Yourself' and had to catch my breath:

“For the greatest hurdle a beginning writer must overcome is the one he sets for himself: perfection.”

Yes, that’s it! It raises its ugly head even in my writing!

Perfectionism freezes my fingers and stifles my spirit.

I remember this in writing in my journal for high school English teachers. I was so concerned that my grammar, handwriting, and spelling were correct I crushed any hope of creativity.

I could write a research paper and usually give exactly what was expected in college, but when I came across some of these essays when unpacking in recent years I realized how uncreative they were!

It is still my struggle.

Yet, as I scratch away in journals because I find that I need to write to spill out inner struggles and thoughts and emotions, I see I have begun to do what I read here:



“My challenge to you is to approach the diary/Journal as your best friend in the world. You can pour out things here you might not dare to say to anyone else . . . Just pound out whatever comes to mind as quickly as you can. And the more you write, the better: the more release it will give you; the more insight it will provide; the more accurate will be the record when you come back later to reread and learn from it truths that will enrich self-understanding and that you may be able to share with others.”
~Ruth Vaughn, 'Write to Discover Yourself'





31 Days
This is part of a series, linking up with Nester, for the month of October.

You will find the rest of the series, Write to Discover Yourself: My Story His Glory, here

It is a series of posts of sharing what I am learning in Ruth Vaughn’s book, 'Write to Discover Yourself'.






4 comments:

  1. Oh my -- perfection! Yep -- that's THE word!!! Great posts.

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  2. I could have written this post too. I was frozen with fear (in writing and in other ways) in high school and in college. Terrified of making one little mistake. I so appreciate this post, and that I'm not alone in the perfectionism trap! I love your line, "perfectionism freezes my fingers and stifles my spirit." So true. Thanks so much!

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    Replies
    1. It is so crippling! Thanks for sharing - and we must not be alone!!

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