by Ellen Buikema

By 2018, I’d organized myself into a fairly neat routine. Worked a bit on the house in the morning after a meal, reviewed email, went over the previous day’s writing, fixed what needed fixing, and compose new material until I needed a break or went blank.

The remains of the days varied, but I worked at our family dining room table in the same spot each day with a worry stone given to me by the mother of a past student and a stuffed dragon that guarded my writing area.

Occasionally, Bailey, our lovable black lab, would lay down on the floor with me and help me think when I was stuck for what to write next. That’s part of my process, either lay down to think or play solitaire using physical cards. Solitaire on the screen doesn’t work for me. I need to remove myself completely from electronics when temporarily stuck. I have no idea why that is, but it is.

The Big Move

Bailey, our wonderful, unofficial therapy dog and writing partner passed over the Rainbow bridge that year.

Since we’d both retired, we decided to move to Mexico and use living there as a base for travel. Eventually we found a place that felt right for us, Mazatlán, off the sea of Cortez.

Now, settled in a condo off the beach, I could get back to the business of writing. Except there were differences:

• Worry stone, hiding somewhere.
• Dragon Guardian, in a box with a friend in Phoenix.
• Dining room table, left behind for the new owners of our house.
• Writing Partner Pup, in heaven where he belonged—angel on four paws.
• Daily schedule, drastically changed due to neighborhood noise.

Living in a port city can be fantastic. Busy. Lots to do of cultural interest in El Centro Historico. Opportunities to meet people from all over the world.

Mazatlán is home to Banda music. If you’re not familiar with this musical genre, imagine a marriage of Mexican Norteño and German Oompah music. It’s not on my favorites list, but is very popular there.

When the Germans came though Mazatlán in the mid-to-late 19^th century they left beer (Pacifico) and Oompah. Sometimes, very late at night, musicians would play their tubas along the beach. That being a horrific way to be roused from sleep.

Basically, the beauty of the area aside, my writing process and writing comforts were caput.

Do we need the perfect writing conditions?

Some days when you open up the laptop the writing flows. Other times you stare at the screen and nothing comes to mind. Author Kris Maze, in a blog post for WITS, has helpful suggestions for getting the writing flow back after falling into a slump—never a fun place to be.

Having the perfect writing condition for one’s self is wonderful but life happens and you must either change your methods or be distraught at not being able to write.

Instead of perfect, try aiming for what works.

Dealing With Your Inner Perfectionist

You sit in front of your notebook, laptop, or for me recently, a blank canvas. You think, well isn’t it lovely, all that blankness—perfect just as it is.

My canvas depicting a polar bear in a blizzard of blinding white needed to become a jungle scene with parrots for the grandbaby’s nursery.

• What if I get the perspective wrong?
• How on earth can I possibly mix that unusual shade of blue?
• I’ve never painted anything misty before. What if it ends up looking blotchy?

This need for everything to go right can cause a whopping case of paralysis. Instead, take a deep breath, pick up the brush, pen, pencil, keyboard, and get something down.

Perfection is not real; it is an illusion. There is beauty in imperfection.

Walk into a library and look around at the many books, all works of art in their own right. Not one of them was flawless in the beginning. Even the best writers have published works that still have the occasional error.

Keep These Points in Mind

Your first draft will be a hot mess. No worries! First drafts are supposed to be messy. It takes a village to put together a great book. Lots of eyes-on help.

Remember that the goal is to tell a good story, which will take many drafts. But you have to start with the first one.

Focus on attainable goals. The over-arching goal is to complete your story, but there are the day-to-day benchmarks along the way:

• Mastering your writing routine
• Getting in your daily word count goals
• Improving your writing skills

Final Thoughts

Try what my best friend does, write as if no one is ever going to read your work. Write for yourself. Get it out of your head. In this way, there is no fear of composing words on a page.

Learn to embrace imperfection.

There will be disappointing days when the Muse refuses to show up to work. On those days step away from the computer, notebook, canvas, and do something that gives you joy. Short breaks can do wonders. A bit later, with a fresh outlook, read over what you’ve started, ask yourself “What happens next?” and move forward.

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About Ellen

Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written Parenting ... A Work in Progress, non-fiction for parents, and The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon chapter book series with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works in Progress are The Hobo Code, YA historical fiction and The Crystal Key, MG Magical Realism/ Sci-Fi, a glaze of time travel.

Find her at https://ellenbuikema.com or on Amazon.

Top Image of Mazatlán at sunset taken by Ellen L. Buikema