Forget Perfect: How Great Writers and Musicians Embrace the Wrong Notes

Why are we all so obsessed with getting it “right”?

Great writers and musicians know that perfection is the enemy of originality. It’s in the mistakes, the raw and unexpected moments, that real creativity lives.

Writing, jazz, classical—it’s not as different as you’d think.

Each one takes guts. Each one has rules. But the real masters? They break them. They play wrong notes and make it work. They mess up and keep going. Often that’s how they find something new, something great, something only they can play.

Want to write like that? Then listen to what these legends had to say.

“It takes a long time to sound like yourself.” – Miles Davis

Miles didn’t find his voice overnight. He played a lot of other people’s tunes first. Experimented. Took risks. Eventually, he found something nobody else was doing.

In writing: Stop trying to sound like someone else. Sound like you. It’ll take time, but that’s the whole point. Keep pushing till you find your own sound. Your voice is waiting—it just needs you to keep writing.

“It’s not the note you play that’s the wrong note—it’s the note you play afterward that makes it right or wrong.” – Miles Davis

A mistake’s only a mistake if you freeze up. The real move? Keep playing. Lean into it. Make it part of the story.

In writing: Don’t obsess over “mistakes.” Follow them. If a line feels weird, double down. Make it matter. The mistake might lead you somewhere more interesting than the “perfect” line ever could. Think of it like jazz: keep going, and let the unexpected become part of the rhythm.

“I played the wrong, wrong notes.” – Thelonious Monk

Monk knew he hit the wrong note sometimes. And he didn’t care. Because the “wrong” notes led him somewhere new, somewhere no one else had been.

In writing: Wrong notes? Who cares. The only way to be boring is to stay safe. So play the “wrong” line, the weird metaphor, the strange idea. It might just be the single best thing you write.

“To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” – Ludwig van Beethoven

Beethoven didn’t care about mistakes. He cared about fire. You can play a perfect piece with no feeling, and it’ll still fall flat.

In writing: Put some teeth into it. Don’t write to impress, write to connect. Write like it matters. The mistakes won’t matter if the message hits home. Passion is what makes your work unforgettable.

“There are no wrong notes on the piano, just better choices.” – Thelonious Monk

Monk’s world had no wrong notes. Only choices. Some were better than others, but none were “wrong.”

In writing: Forget about getting it “right.” You’ve got choices. Experiment with them. Some work, some don’t, but that’s how you get somewhere that feels fresh. The only wrong choice is the one you don’t make.

“Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.” – Miles Davis

If you play only what’s written, you’re just repeating what’s been done. But if you play what’s not there? That’s where real creativity lives.

In writing: Don’t just tell the story. Leave space. Let readers feel the subtext, the unspoken. Sometimes they might complete the picture better than you ever could. And that’s where the magic is.

The Takeaway: Forget Perfect, Go for Real

Stop aiming for “perfect” and start aiming for real. Real isn’t polished. Real isn’t flawless. Real is bold, messy, full of mistakes. But it’s alive.

Again, Miles Davis said it best: "If you're not making a mistake, it's a mistake."

Embracing the possibility for error is essential to true creativity. Often, it's in the mistakes we fear that birth the most genuine and resonant ideas.

Remember: no one remembers the “perfect” notes. But the ones with grit? The ones that give you goosebumps and make you sit up and feel something? That’s what sticks.

So go on, write the messy, risky, imperfect line. It’s the only way to truly make it yours.