3 Reasons Perfectionism is the number 1 enemy of every Storyteller

Growing up, I was taught that if you want to write, you must always have a perfect form. Always use the correct verbal tenses (and, in Italian, there are way more than in the English language), always put commas in the correct place, always sound smarter than the reader (huge mistake)... That led me and many writers to an obsession with perfectionism. After years of experience in storytelling and copywriting, I can tell you that perfectionism is the number one enemy of every writer and storyteller. Here are 3 reasons why.

1: Your idea of perfection is just in your head.

Storytelling is not math. There is no perfect formula to express an idea. What you perceive as perfect is only in your head. If you ask 10 writers to tell you the same story in the perfect way, they will come up with 10 different ways to do it. So, even if you write the perfect piece, it won't be perfect for anyone else.

2: Perfection traps you in your comfort zone.

As we get older, we stick more to what we are comfortable with. This applies to every aspect of life, which is why most people never really change over the years. If you stay trapped in your comfort zone, your storytelling will not evolve in any way. And, after a while, you will sound repetitive to yourself and, most likely, to everyone.

3: Creating junk can lead to new insights.

When I say create junk, I don't mean write low-quality content. Simply put, allow yourself to create stories that are experimental, strange, or simply outside your norm. That often leads to new insights that will enrich your future work and expand your comfort zone.