Entry 64: Moving Past the Illusion of Perfection

I’ve never been good about keeping a journal. It all boils down to consistency. There are days when I skip making an entry. Life can crowd out the time I need to write down my thoughts about a day’s events. I’ve also been reluctant to pose as an expert on the writing process. If I knew anything of value about writing, my work would already be in print. I went out on a skinny limb of a tall in 2022 when I shared my 365 days of thankfulness. The exercise forced me to put myself out there with my soft belly exposed. Thank you for joining me on my journey in the written word. Therefore, I plan to keep a journal in 2023 to document my progress. I will call Entry 64: Moving Past the Illusion of Perfection.

Note: I consider editing an important part of the writing process. Editing is where all the artistry happens.

My morning writing before I started Entry 64: Moving Past the Illusion of Perfection.

The longer I play this writing game, the more I believe perfection is an illusion. It is also a time-consuming fantasy. I have spent the past two months rewriting Amazing Buchanan and the Beast. I have tossed most of what I wrote in the first draft. I’ll probably go through the book six more times and still not be satisfied. I can’t imagine how writers wrote those massive books before the invention of the computer. Maybe I need to let go of the entire project. I don’t know.

But I did manage to make it through part of a chapter during my morning pages because I introduced a new character mentioned by other characters in the past. Eli will become important in this final part of the book and later in the series. I am still searching for a poetry style to play with in March. I am leaning toward the cascade.

The book I am currently reading right now and Entry 64: Moving Past the Illusion of Perfection

I am still reading Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. Anna and Vronsky return to Petersburg and find that society doesn’t accept Anna. She is snubbed at the opera. They leave for Vronsky’s country estate.

This book is probably a perfect rendition of how the upper class in Russia lived before the Revolution. The tradition of novels centering on wealthy people started at that time. You get the same feeling with all the billionaire romance stories that are popular today. Nobody wants to read about the struggles of the working class. I’ve noticed even on television; upper-middle-class lifestyles grab all the attention. Maybe they live life so much brighter than the rest of us.

What I’m listening to right now and Entry 64: Moving Past the Illusion of Perfection 

I listened to Nora Jones Come Away with Me this morning while I wrote. I love the soulful sound of her voice. Her music reflects the mood I’m in today.

The thing I am most thankful for at this moment.

I am thankful that today seems much less complicated than yesterday. There are days when it is hard to live a life of thankfulness. Being grateful is especially true when you constantly try to reach for the brass ring of perfection. That illusion is hard to deal with in the real world.

This old lady says

There is always a tomorrow. I am so grateful that the problems we often experience today seem to get resolved in time. You can always look forward to a brighter day in the future.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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