You Can't Revise a Blank Page by Jennifer Laffin

I am a perfectionist.

There, I said it.

When I do things, I want to do them right.

While this is certainly noble, it is not always helpful. Especially when it comes to my writing.

There are times when an idea will come to me and I will let it mull around in my head longer than it should because I am looking for that just-right way to say it. Unfortunately, my head is a place where a lot of good ideas go to die -- because I never get them out of there and down on paper.

For a writer, this is counterproductive, but I would predict that I am not alone in this act.

A lot of us struggle with writing because we can't get out of our own heads (literally). We think that every word we put down on the page has to be perfect -- perfectly placed, perfectly timed, perfectly stated.

Well, I'm here to tell you a secret: THIS NEED FOR PERFECTION IS A LIE.

I could go on and on about how the need for perfection is just procrastination or the roar of fear taking over, but that's a topic for another day.

I just simply say this:  Bring your words -- your messy, confusing, bland, not-quite-right words -- to the page.

Write them down.

Once you do, the magic of revision can happen and you will surprise yourself how your raw material transforms into those just-right sentences.

This is my writing goal for the new year: To get my words down on the page, no matter what.

There, I said it.

Jennifer Laffin is a teacher of teachers, the owner of Teach Write LLC, and a co-moderator of the #TeachWrite Twitter Chat. She is committed to helping teachers and their students grow as writers because she has seen how writing can transform -- especially when you can find a way to get those words down on paper. You can find her learning with others on Twitter at @laffinteach and @TeachWriteEDU or at www.teachwrite.org.

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The #TeachWrite Twitter Chat Blog is dedicated to providing a space for our community to connect and share their voices about writing and teaching writing.  We are looking for guest bloggers for January who would like to blog on topics related to our January theme -- GOALS.  Educators and writers of all levels are invited to join us in this space. More information can be found here.