Picture Book Prompt 98
“One thing I wish I’d had in my younger self’s head was this notion of forgiving yourself for not making perfect work and instead determining to make the best work of which you are you capable.”— Meredith Lewis
Set your timer for eight minutes and write down the ways perfectionism has blocked your creative flow. How has the fear of imperfection kept your stories in your head rather than on the page? When has “perfect” become the enemy of “finished” or even of “begun”?
Now imagine a child character who struggles with this same fear. Perhaps they won’t draw because their lines aren’t straight, or they tear up stories with spelling mistakes. What small, imperfect creation might help them discover the joy hidden within the process rather than the product?
In creating a story about imperfection, you might free not only young readers but also the perfectionist still living within yourself.