Keep Rolling

I love quotes, motivational thoughts, words of wisdom or whatever you like to call them. The writer in me often says, “Why didn’t I think of that?” One of the nuggets that has become popular lately is, “Progress over perfection.”

This bit of wisdom can relate to our writing. While we always want to strive for perfection, we often find ourselves avoiding our work in progress because we can’t get it to the state of perfection that we desire.

This goes back to a rule of writing that we all learned early on: don’t edit as you go. Progression is an ongoing, moving process. It slows greatly if we must start and stop to edit. It is comparable to the difference in driving on the interstate and driving in a traffic jam.

 We all like to keep rolling when we are driving. It is a sense of accomplishment when we are moving on down the road. We are making progress toward our goal of arriving at our destination. We see landmarks swishing by, and nothing can stop us now.

A traffic jam causes us anxiety. We worry about the time we are wasting inching our way along.  We are mumbling about the unknowns up ahead, and we convince ourselves that we really need to go to the bathroom and are going to burst if we don’t move soon. We are still on the same road going the same direction but not gaining much ground on getting to where we are going.

The better way: if you are on a roll, keep rolling. Write words that are big and bold. Write words that are bright and colorful. Write words that you are not sure you are using correctly but sound good at the moment. Just write. There will be time later to go back and check for correct usage and over usage. There will be time to correct grammar and punctuation. There will be time to work on perfection, but, for now, progression is the goal.

By the way, it’s ok to take a bathroom break as needed.

Sue Davis Potts is a freelance writer from Huntingdon, Tennessee. She is mother to her beautiful adult daughter, Jessa. Sue enjoys writing for both children and adults. She worked for years as a preschool teacher but feels most at home these days with other writers who speak her language. She has been published in local magazines, anthologies, Ideals, Southern Writer’s Magazine and Focus on the Family’s children’s magazines Clubhouse and Clubhouse, Jr.

She authored a children’s library book.  She is the author of a book of short motivations 101 Life Lessons From Uno (The One-Legged Duck) and coauthored. The Priceless Life (The Diane Price Story). Both books are available on Amazon. Sue can be found on her website, www.suedavispotts.com.

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.