Editor’s Choice — Top 10: It’s Better To Be Prolific Than Perfect

Let’s look at our top 10 stories today

If you are waiting to write your perfect piece, please stop and rethink your strategy.

“It’s better to be prolific than perfect.” ~Joe Polish

If you want to write well, you can’t start with a flawless piece. Perhaps you’ll never need the perfect story — or perfect anything — all your life.

You don’t need approval from some imaginary perfect writer. Real writers and real editors will love your imperfect piece anyway.

But you are going to fail a lot. You need to make mistakes.

To try new and original ideas, you’ll have to be creative. Often you’ll fail. If you are trying to conform to the general practices, you are becoming the world’s most excellent sheep — in the language of author William Deresiewicz.

Adam Grant, in the book Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, explains that “originals” — people who innovate and create — are not guaranteed to be always good. The originals fail to produce extraordinary results most of the time.

Among the 50 great music pieces ever created, only six are Mozart, five belong to Beethoven’s, and three are Bach’s. But to deliver those six pieces, Mozart wrote more than 604 songs, Beethoven composed 651, and Bach 1,013.

Picasso produced 1,800 paintings, 1,200 sculptures, 2,800 ceramics, and 12,000 drawings, but only a few count as his “great works.” Albert Einstein wrote 240 scientific papers, but only a few made him famous. Edison patented 1093 ideas, but only some of them became popular.

Don’t wait until you become your own best version. Seeking approval from others will make you tired. It’ll lower your self-esteem. In the end, your perfectionism will lead you to procrastinate and quit.

The secret of being original is this: “the most important possible thing you could do,” write Ira Glass, the producer of This American Life and the podcast Serial, “is do a lot of work. Do a huge volume of work.”

Perfectionism is nothing but an unhealthy need for approval. Perfectionism stops you from following your dream.

When you stop writing, your mind fills with doubts. Your fear of failure and fear of looking stupid force you to reconsider your options.

Your perfectionism, fear of failure, and analysis paralysis makes you think success is not possible. Your courage fades. A writer without courage is no writer at all.

After spending his decades studying creative productivity, famous psychologist Dean Simonton found that even geniuses, like Beethoven, have trouble knowing when they have a hit on their hands.

Simonton says that the most prolific people ultimately gain the highest originality. When you more, your originality increase. Prolific creators produce their most original output during the periods in which they deliver the largest volume.

If you can convince yourself to be prolific, you’ll become creative and original as you write more and more. You need to trust in your ability. As long as you are trying to make sense, you’ll make sense.

People will forget your unoriginal work, but they’ll love and remember your most original ideas.

Here is a list of our top 10 stories today — by writers who know how to mix the ingredients to craft a great story:

10. 5 Michelle Obama Quotes You Can Use in Your Life

I wrote this one. I hope you like it.

Becoming was not the best-selling memoir of 2018 — it was the best-selling memoir of all time. Do you know why people liked her biography?

People loved her human side — her vulnerability.

She is not a man. Her butt is not too big, and she is not an angry black woman. That is all politics.

9. Returning To The United States Right Before 9/11

Floyd Mori, born in Utah, is a former College Teacher, Mayor, CA State Assemblyman, Consultant, and CEO for Nonprofits.

He is a good writer. His style is full of information and insights. Do check his other work.

Most people who were alive on September 11, 2001, and old enough to remember, know about the events of that horrific day in the United States. They will remember the news stories.

Terrorists hijacked planes and flew commercial jets into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, into the Pentagon at Washington, D.C., and in a field in Pennsylvania. The plane which crashed in Pennsylvania was presumably headed for the White House or the U.S. Capitol. Passengers stopped that from happening.

8. Take a Hike. It Changes Everything.

Barry Taylor says, “Hi! I’m a Berlin-based Irishman waiting on an epiphany. I ramble about hiking, travel, films, and sometimes, my American curiosities.”

He is a wonderful writer. His writing style is charming and engaging. Do check his other work.

In 2010, Emilio Estevez’s ‘The Way’ graced our screens for the first time. As expected for a film that follows a disenchanted father ruefully reflecting on the relationship with his recently deceased son, spiritual undertones sprinkle the well-worn path. The film portrays Martin Sheen’s character Tom walking from A to B in the hope of understanding his son’s life choices and indeed, his own journey. All things considered — what, given that it’s a little predictable, bookmarked with character stereotypes, and heavily romanticises the subject matter — you could argue it exceeded expectations by notching 83% on the all-too-often cynical circle jerk that is Rotten Tomatoes.

7. 5 Tips for Handling Relationship Conflict When Kids Are In Earshot

Julie Lynn. 4X Top Writer. An avid reader of psychology and spirituality. I turn lemons into lemon drop shots.

She is an excellent writer. Her writing style is easy to follow, relevant, and engaging. Do check her other work.

Relationship conflict is unavoidable. And it’s not always possible to address conflict when children are not present. But it’s also not beneficial for kids to never see their parents having disagreements.

6. Reflecting Back on Twenty Years Ago

Sarah Marie. Just a curious person searching for answers about life, the world, and the universe. A little bit of everything: Science, space, books, life, self-care.

She is a fine writer. Her writing style is well researched, full of suspense, and engaging. Do check her other work.

Steves Jobs was very clear on what he wants people to know about Apple. After all, it is a noisy world saturated with marketing campaigns. He believed that even a great brand needs investment and caring if it’s going to retain its relevance and vitality. He believed that marketing is about values. Apple didn’t say we are better than windows. Instead, they said we believe in changing the world and we do it by designing user-friendly products which happen to make great computers.

5. Science Says Spending Money Can Make You Happy

Khadejah says, “I write about life lessons, writing, social justice, and productivity. New articles published daily.”

She is a fine writer. Her writing style is easy to follow, free-flowing, and engaging.

My mom had a mammogram a year ago. They found a small lump in her breast, but the doctor assumed it was an error on the machine’s part.

Apparently, mistakes like that happen all of the time.

So I waited for my mom to tell me what happened. Days went by…almost as if she hid it from me.

4. The Right Way To Exercise.

Petyo Kozhuharov is the founder of fitlifeblueprints. Creating educational content about nutrition, exercises, and a healthy lifestyle.

He is a fabulous writer. His writing style is unique, engaging, and awe-inspiring. Don’t miss this one and check his other stories.

The rise in small and medium-scale enterprises is fueling the rise of freelancers globally, and platforms like Upwork and Fiver are the fertile grounds breeding many of these freelancers.

While this rise in freelancing doesn’t mean the traditional ways of building and running businesses are dead, it sure means many people are comfortable with quietly building their thing in a small corner of their room.

3. See Your Work Like A Child and You Will Stop Procrastinating

Diepak Paul says, “Life gave me much. I published first novel 2011. I am rewriting after my disability due to accident, and stroke. Starting to write here to heal, and be healed.”

He is an excellent writer. His writing style is easy, free-flowing, and informative. Don’t skip this piece. Also, check his other work.

I think you are working too hard.

That’s right, coming up with 10 ideas a day, writing a new draft every one to two days, and publishing those different ideas and stories every day is probably wearing you out. I know it does for me.

So, why not simplify your writing life?

2. Caught in Between Two Worlds — What 9/11 Did For Me

JS Adam. Rantler. Top Writer. 4th Culture Kid. Mother of 5. Wife of 1. Editor at Illumination.

Her writing style is simple, logical, and full of wisdom. She explains everything beautifully until the reader feels satisfied. Follow her and read her other work.

I remember the first time I heard the term sandbox, attributed to Middle Eastern countries. My friends and I joked about it a lot. Ironically, that sandbox became my home shortly after.

The summer of 2001 was great considering the rough head start moving to the Middle East in 2000. I had just graduated from art school and was having the time of my life travelling between Egypt, Syria, and Jordan — or the sandbox.

1. Advice From My Dad…

John Teehan. A writer specializing in tech, business, parenting, pop culture, and gaming.

He is an excellent writer. His writing style is easy to understand, engaging, and full of wisdom. Don’t miss this great piece. Also, check his other work.

For a year and a half since moving to New York and then Los Angeles from his home country of Denmark, my husband has been asking me questions about this weird country of ours that I sometimes struggle to answer. It’s not that his questions are difficult. It’s just that I’m so used to the way things are here I don’t think to question it. But maybe I should.

The last three top 10

This post is part of the Top 10 Series — you can meet 500+ top writers with these links:

1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10–11–12–13–14–15–16–17–18–19–20–21–22–Curated 23–24–25–26–27–28–29–30–31–32–33–34–35–36–37–38–39–40–41–42–43–44–45–46–47–48–49–50–51–52 –53–54–55–56–57–58–59–60–61–62–63–64–65–66–67–68–69–70–71–72–73– 74–75–76–77–78–79–80–81–82–83–84–85–86– 87–88–89–90–91–92–93–94

Final Thoughts

If your story was selected in the Top 10, please share another story with a brief introduction and a short convincing review — in the comments. (Please write the review in the third person and start it with your name.)

I must have missed something today. I cannot read every story on Illumination and Illumination-Curated. I try — and fail daily — to read all of the great articles.

Please join our private Facebook group for Illumination writers to post your articles daily. Also, I invite you to become a writer for my publication — positive minds.

Iꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴀɴʏ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇ, ᴛʏᴘᴏ, ᴏʀ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴇʀʀᴏʀ, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴘʀɪᴠᴀᴛᴇ ɴᴏᴛᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. Tʜᴀɴᴋs.

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