Reading time: About 2 minutes
Vansh Malhotra says that “done” is better than perfect because you can always revise a rough draft, wheras you can’t revise a blank page…
Vansh Malhotra has been writing poetry, creative nonfiction, and, more recently, a hybrid of lyric and narrative poems. His curiosity about twisting meanings grew stronger in his Creative Nonfiction and Poetry courses during his Associate’s Degree at Capilano University. Later, he became an editor for CapU’s literary magazine, The Liar.. He also brings a multicultural and multilingual voice. He is half-Hindu and half-Sikh and fluent in Hindi, Punjabi, English, and French.
I was excited to talk to Vansh about how he approaches writing.
Q. Roughly how much time do you spend writing every day?
It depends on the day, but usually between one and three hours. If I’m working on a deadline or a poem that won’t leave me alone, it can be much longer.
Q. What’s a simple activity or habit that makes you a better writer?
Reading poetry and free writing. Freewriting helps me quiet my inner critic and often leads me somewhere unexpected.
Q. What interferes with your writing?
Anxiety and overthinking. Sometimes I spend too much time worrying whether something is good instead of simply letting myself write.
Q. How do you persuade yourself to sit down to write on days when you really, really DON’T feel like doing it?
I remind myself that I don’t have to write something great—I just have to write something. Once I begin, the words usually find me.
Q. Is there a particular motto or saying that you’ve found helpful for writing?
“Done is better than perfect.” It reminds me that a rough draft can always be revised, but a blank page can’t.
Q. Which stage of the writing process do you enjoy the most: researching, writing or editing/rewriting and why?
Writing. I love discovering where a poem wants to go. Sometimes the best lines appear when I wasn’t expecting them.
Q. What’s one of the best books you’ve read (either fiction or non) in the last five years?
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. I admire how it blends poetry and prose while exploring identity, family, and memory.
Q. What book are you reading right now?
I’m currently reading On Writing by Stephen King.
Q. What do you think is the biggest misperception that new writers have about the act of writing?
That good writing happens in one draft. In my experience, writing is really rewriting. The first draft is only the beginning.
