Nobody's Perfect

Today we have a guest blocker at the clubhouse. Kris Starr is joining us and she's even offered to give a copy of her book, Higher Learning to one commenter! So here she is~~~

Hey there, everyone! Thanks to the Naughty Author Chicks for having me today. It’s great to be here!

I want to talk about something important that many writers deal with (yours truly included) that can hamper your writing and stall you on the road to success.

My newest release, Higher Learning (Ellora’s Cave), took me a very, very long time to write. I actually started it many years ago. I liked the idea a lot, and thought the plot was quite sound. The problem was, things just weren’t fitting properly. The words weren’t conveying the meaning I truly wanted. I felt it just wasn’t good enough. So I kept putting the manuscript aside, thinking that tomorrow would be better and that I’d figure out how to perfect it somehow.

And that was the problem. That specific tomorrow just wasn’t coming. And the longer it took, the more disheartened I became.

It was my husband who helped me out of that slump, though. One day, after I’d been particularly mopey and disappointed, he said to me, “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good.”

It struck a chord.

So I pulled out the story again and began to plug away at it. And even though it was hard as hell to keep going, I didn’t stop. The moral of the story? The book ended up finished, polished, incredibly satisfying, and most importantly – sold.

In other words, don’t expect what you put down on screen to be perfect – at least, not every single word of it. (Of course you’ll have turns of phrase or bits of dialogue you’re particularly proud of, but that tends to be more the exception rather than the rule.) You need to give yourself permission to write average (or even poor) stuff. Getting closer to perfection can come with polishing and edits, but you need to finish that draft, first. Nobody’s a genius right out of the gate. Don’t let that stop you from writing something that can eventually grow and evolve into a fantastic masterpiece.

Am I completely able to do this myself, now that I’ve learned the lesson?

Uh, well, not quite yet. I still stumble on a regular basis. (I am only human, after all!) It’s just a matter of reminding myself of my husband’s words when my brain’s not working and the sentences just seem utterly ridiculous.

Don’t worry. Keep going. You can do it. After all, nobody’s perfect.

Keep on truckin’,

Kris

Kris lives in the wilds of Northern Canada with her two daughters and science geek husband. She spends her time attempting to control household chaos, indulging her crafty side with various knitting, sewing and miscellaneous handmade projects, and creating stories for Carina Press and Ellora’s Cave. Kris has been writing since the age of ten, beginning with a Nancy Drew-style mystery story featuring herself and a couple of her friends. Future leanings became clear, however, when she started penning naughty stories for high-school friends, featuring Scott Baio, Rick Springfield or any member of Duran Duran.

She welcomes reader comments at starrstruck@gmail.com, and can be found on the Internet at www.krisstarr.com and on Twitter @Kris_Starr.

One lucky commenter will win a copy of Kris’ latest release, Higher Learning, from Ellora’s Cave!

Blurb:

Work on Anne’s Master’s Thesis is going well…until her world is spun off its axis by the stunningly beautiful and very sexy Leslie. Interviewing this woman about her sexual history is turning into an exquisite form of sensual torture but somehow Anne can’t find it in herself to stay away. On top of that, Leslie’s scorching kisses and electrifying caresses bring long-buried feelings and painful memories to the surface. And it doesn’t help that Anne’s boyfriend, Michael, is willing to let Anne do a little experimentation…

Anne’s obsession with Leslie begins to spiral out of control, affecting both her work and her relationship with Michael, until all that remains is the possibility of an affair. One that Anne both craves and fears. But not everything is as it seems, and it turns out Anne’s not the only one keeping secrets…

***And the winner is... Portia! Congrats. Kris will contact you. ***