by Nancy Casey
You probably don’t know any Perfect People and it’s pretty likely you aren’t one yourself.
When we observe people’s shortcomings (or our own) we make a comparison to a standard that only a Perfect Person can meet. Whether Perfect People exist or not.
In your writing today, bring the Perfect People to life in your imagination.
What do you suppose the Perfect People are doing right now? What are their homes like? What kinds of things do they say? What will they never do?
Conjure up the Perfect People in your imagination while you get yourself ready to write. As you get out your stuff, think about all the perfect writing stuff a Perfect Person probably has.
As you relax and clear your mind to write, heave a big sigh for all the mistakes a Perfect Person never would make.
Draw a maybe-perfectly straight line across the top of the page where your maybe-perfect title will go. Mark off some space that you will use for a maybe-perfect drawing. (Or scribbling—is it possible to scribble imperfectly?)
What are Perfect People like? What do they dream about? Do they ever worry?
As soon as an idea about a Perfect Person pops into your mind, write it down.
You can write about what you would be like if you were perfect. Or the perfect way that others could behave around you. Maybe you will start thinking of all the skills and qualities that Perfect People have.
When your page is full—perfectly full, perhaps—read over what you have written. Make corrections or changes if you like. Do your notice that your ideas have formed some kind of pattern? Do they seem to be about a general idea that you hadn’t really planned on writing about? If they do, maybe you can use that insight to think up a title. If they don’t, make up some kind of a title anyway. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
While you are reviewing what you have written and thinking up a title, you can draw or doodle on the page.
When you feel like the page is completely finished, put your initials or a signature on it somewhere, along with today’s date.
Here is an example of what someone could write.
You can share your work by posting it as a comment below. You can type it in, or take a photo of it and upload the image.
Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. If you would like some help with your writing, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Center.
Latah Recovery Community Center, Inc. 