I follow Seth Godin's site and he posted an interesting thought earlier today in regards to expectations:
"The paradox of expectations
Low expectations are often a self-fulfilling prophecy. We insulate ourselves from failure, don't try as hard, brace for the worst and often get it.
High expectations, on the other hand, will inevitably lead to disappointment. Keep raising what you expect and sooner or later (probably sooner) it's not going to happen. And we know that a good outcome that's less than the great one we hoped for actually feels like failure.
Perhaps it's worth considering no expectations. Intense effort followed by an acceptance of what you get in return. It doesn't make good TV, but it's a discipline that can turn you into a professional."
As a writer, is it possible to write without expectations?????
3 comments:
I read this somewhere: that if you set your standards lower (say 50%) and you reach it, you might feel as though you'd achieved a little something - which is nice. But if you go all the way and aim for that 100% and work really hard towards it, even if you fall short (say 80%), it's still a darn good 80%. =)
I think that there are times when you have a clear image for a story in your mind's view, and you can build upon that story image repeatedly until you hone it into what you expected.
Nevertheless, waiting for that kind of story image to appear can paralyze an author, and I believe that sometimes you just need to open a file and write with no expectations and see what your mind and hands come up with. If you don't keep on writing, you can forget how to do it. Write, write, write.
Claudine, I think I read that somewhere as well. 80% is a very good number!
Aser, I've struggled with the "waiting" battle far too often and it is entirely my own fault. I'm too much of a perfectionist and this has stopped me in my writing track way more often than it should. I love your advice on "open a file and write with no expectations." I need to do this every day.
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