Progress, not Perfection

All I ever wanted was to be a published author. I focused so much on the end goal that I skipped steps along the way.

In May 2023, I declared that I would become a published author no matter what. I put together some poems in a Word document and created T’s Telling the Truth. I rushed through the steps on Amazon KDP and hit publish. I never ordered a proof copy to see what it looked like. Then I shared the news on social media.

So many people supported my accomplishment and ordered a copy of my book. They received theirs before I did. When my copy arrived, what should have been a proud moment turned into disappointment. Not knowing much about formatting, I created an 8.5 x 11 paperback. It was bulky and ugly. I didn’t fully proofread it, so there were typos in the book as well.

I felt ashamed and didn’t feel like a published author. I needed more. I had to do better.

In July 2024, I again rushed my own deadline and published Speechless, my first novel. I loved how the book looked, but I felt overwhelmed when I realized there were typos throughout it.

I promised myself I’d do better next time and be more patient. But I set a goal to publish Her Story: Lessons Learned from an Emotionally Abusive Relationship on September 24, 2024 (four years after I left my ex-husband). So, again, I rushed the project.

In March 2025, I turned 40. I didn’t think I’d ever make it to 40, as I suffered from depression most of my life. I wanted to celebrate this accomplishment. I created This is Me, a collection of poems I wrote over the course of my life. I remember reviewing every line in every poem, both in print and digitally. I finally had a book I was truly proud of.

I wanted to keep this feeling going and couldn’t wait to publish Lunch Break. I hired a cover designer and sent advanced copies to readers. Lunch Break attracted many readers, and I received good reviews.

I wanted to be just as proud of Speechless as I was of Lunch Break, so I hired the same person to redesign the cover. I decided to revisit and correct the typos as well.  

I was on cloud 9, thinking I'd finally done it. I could finally be proud of the books I created.

I received an email from a reader who said she loved Lunch Break, but found so many typos. In fact, I had even spelled one character’s name three different ways.

I was devastated and felt embarrassed. I didn’t want to sell my books anymore. I was so angry at myself for rushing the process, for chasing the dream and forgetting my why.

It took a long break and months of self-reflection to forgive myself. With the reader's help, who pointed out the errors, I corrected my mistakes in Lunch Break and republished it.

I then went back to T’s Telling the Truth and redesigned a paperback I truly love.

I decided to share this with all of you because throughout this journey, I've learned that I don’t have to be perfect, and I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. It’s not about how many books I publish, but the quality of my work. I learned the value of pauses. I am not going to shame myself anymore for the work I previously released; however, moving forward, I will not publish anything until I am 100% confident in every aspect of the project.

Just because we want something doesn’t mean we have to rush to get to it. What’s that expression? It’s not how you start, but how you finish; it’s not about the result, but the journey along the way.

Well, from that first release of T’s Telling the Truth to my next poetry collection, Shades of Love, I am grateful for every mistake I made along the way. I learned, grew, and gained confidence in my writing. Despite the typos and grammatical errors, readers still connected with my characters and felt inspired by my words.

I was always meant to be a published author; I never needed to rush the process.

So, the next time you think about your goal, consider all the steps, take your time, and enjoy the process. Appreciate the mistakes and lessons learned along the way and never forget to celebrate the accomplishments as well.