Perfectionist or Doing it Right?

      If you are anything like me, you are a perfectionist…okay, not a perfectionist, but you know the importance when you write a book and publish it, that it be the best it can be.
        I have listened to some You Tubers say you can be too fussy and I understand this however I also understand the other point too.
       If you have ever painted a picture, you know there comes a point when you need to walk away and consider it done or you will either destroy it or take it to a whole new level of working on it, that you may not have intended for that particular project.
       I think there are some who fall into the category of just cranking out so many books based on a format that works, that they don’t have to think about too much in terms of editing.  I think there is another group that will fuss over something so much that it never gets out there for the public.
       Therefore I think the trick to finding the balance is to remember to breathe! To just stop, step back, give the project some space and then return to it. During that time off, one of three things will likely happen when you come back: you will either go ‘WOW, THAT IS AMAZING or OMG THAT IS TERRIBLE. If you are looking at things with a good attitude, your response will be somewhere in-between. That is the place where you suspend judgement and just breathe!
        The more books I do, the easier it gets and the more I figure out the process and steps that work for me. Then I can spend less time re-inventing the wheel and also less time needing to edit, because I have figured out the steps to make it easier and by this I mean PRE-SETS which I will touch on more in another blog.
        The other thing is remembering to takes break from your computer; to get up, walk around and just stretch. Not just because it is healthier for you, but also it gives you a chance to get out of tunnel vision so you can come back and see the bigger picture. By doing this, trust me, it will mean less frustration when your computer freezes before it saved, or it saves and creates issues in the process. No software is bug free no matter how many updates you have!
       When I worked in the library in my high school, it was the old Dewey Decimal System. There were cards that had to be matched to the books one the shelves to see what was missing. It was called shelf reading and the librarian insisted I do it for no more than 30 minutes because after that she said I could get careless and make mistakes.
        I have found when I am in the process of putting the pages together, I especially have to do this! I have reached a point where I have a physical checklist card…sometimes prefights just don’t catch it all!     
​       Add to this, new folks working at Amazon who are checking your uploads…I had one book up, passed and online for weeks, I decided to do one final edit before I got into marketing so I uploaded a new interior but never touched the cover but someone came back and told me it was incorrect!!!  I am being told the cover that has been approved and online is incorrect even though there was no pre-launch preview error! Bad enough coping with the glitches and so one, you don’t want to have frayed nerves when dealing with this sort of thing. Best to go breathe!
      I remind myself when doing these children’s books why I am doing them. I know there are children out there who would be more interested in the world around them if they were not reading really limited material that doesn’t treat them like they are capable of learning at a young age.
        It has been my experience that children rise to the occasion. If they like something, they will take it in, even if it means reading it to them.
        So, in the end, it is your motivation I think that creates a decent quality book and allows you to put it out there whether it is perfect or not.
        No one is perfect and any book you do, can be close, however I doubt it will be perfect either. Enjoy the process and do the best you can because really what more can we expect of ourselves?