Workable #27: It Will Never Be “Ready”

The idea of “readiness” often gets in the way of art. We keep working on something, thinking that if we just keep tinkering and tinkering and tinkering, then we’ll get it to the point where it’s “ready.”

But “ready” doesn’t have any meaning, does it? After all, how do you know when a piece of writing is "ready"?

Some might say, “Well, I know it’s ready when I can’t improve it anymore.” This is true, but how will you know when you’re improving it versus when you’re just changing it? Changing something doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re improving it.

A better category to orient your practice toward is “published” or “shared.” Your writing will never be ready, but you can absolutely control when it’s shared or when it’s published. If you write for a blog, then you have control over the publication of your work. If you write for a more traditional publication avenue, you can at least choose when to share your work, when to submit it.

Get rid of the idea of “ready.” It will never be ready. Instead, think about when a piece is finished or when it needs to be shared.

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