So there's 15 years and 7 months and a whole lotta LIFE between me writing in those ordinary exercise books and holding the paperback in my hands.
Sometimes, done is better than perfect. “Perhaps it is just as well to be rash and foolish for a while. If writers were too wise, perhaps no books would get written at all. It might be better to ask yourself 'Why?' afterward than before." Zora Neale Hurston On the 9th of January THIS YEAR (2020), I was reading Bassey Ikpi's book which had this quote in it and it really struck a chord.
I then sent a picture of the quote in the book to a dear aburo of mine and we had a lengthy conversation about how we had projects we had both put on the back burner for various reasons. (PS: Aburo is a Yoruba word often used as a term of endearment for a younger one, related or not).
I came out of that conversation fired up. It gave me the final push I needed to sum up the courage to have YET ANOTHER go at getting to the finish line and actually publishing my book! As I discussed my plans with all involved somehow I just **knew** that this time was going to be different.
And it was.
I was finally able to put my perfectionist tendencies to one side and actually get it out there. There was a need for that sense of accomplishment that finally trumped my need to have a perfect product released perfectly in perfect conditions with the perfect network of connections. Sometimes, DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT. I want to encourage anyone out there who still has dreams and desires and aspirations and they are starting to think that the time is past for it. It's never too late to dust off that project and give it that one final push.
DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT!