Writing Delusions of Grandeur

Every writer, at one point or another, wants to write the "prefect" paper. It's the fantasy paper that clearly explains your position while reaching the word count requirement with ease, has the prefect thesis, and has absolutely no grammatical or spelling errors. Such a feat must surely be impossible. Shouldn't it? Is it really impossible to write a paper free of errors? No. Is having a well structured and sound thesis crazy talk? Not really. Is reaching 750 words an act of God? Absolutely not! All of these are completely doable, and are simply a few characteristics of good papers. So where does the idea of the "perfect" paper really loom from? From what I have seen, the idea of writing the perfect paper comes from the notion that we can will it into existence. The idea of the prefect paper shows itself when a you have a 10 page research paper due next week, or when that scholarship essay is your last hope. Without fail it will show up when stress levels are elevated and desperation has fully set in. The thought of being able to pull such a paper out of thin air is what feeds the myth. No paper starts off perfect. Writing takes time, and with time comes experience. The more experience you have at anything, the less of a hassle you will find it to be. That doesn't necessarily mean that it will be easier; however, you definitely will find your assignments more manageable. Perfectionism has no place in the mind of a writer because it belongs in the mind of an editor. As a writer you can always add a little something extra to a paper. Just write. Write until you have said all that you can. Then all that is left to do is edit.