While Writing your Novel

Perfection Blocks your View

Taj Mahal in Agra, India is one of the Great Wonders of the World

Last March, I visited India's jewel. The Taj Mahal was constructed using white marble and inlaid with semi-precious stones. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan designed the grand mausoleum in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Completed around 1653, the Taj Mahal as well as the surrounding landscape are completely symmetrical. Ironically the one element that lacks symmetry is the Mughal Emperor himself. Shah Jahan tomb's lies next to his beloved wife who lays at the center of the mausoleum. 

What's my point? No body is perfect. But placing Shah Jahan's tomb next to his wife only adds to the beautiful love story of the Taj Mahal.

As a writer, I don't focus on being perfect. First drafts are meant to capture "what comes next" not perfect sentences. If I worry about writing right, instead of simply allowing the words to flow out and onto the page, then I'm frozen by writers block. 

Fear of imperfection does not create amazing characters and woven plot lines. So, I challenge myself and all of you to write without fear. And may the bodies lie where they wish. Happy Valentine's Day!