The story, as told by the Arab scholar Al-Tirmidhi, is that the Prophet Muhammed noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel untied. When the Prophet asked if the Bedouin was concerned that his camel might run away, the Bedouin replied that it wasn't necessary to tie up the animal because he trusted God to keep it safe. The Prophet then told the Bedouin, "Trust in God and tie your camel."
If you're a songwriter, you've probably run into people who believe that it would be blasphemy to change any of the lyrics of their songs, the idea being that everything they wrote came directly from God's lips to their ears. Of course you wouldn't want to mess with that equation, even if it's pretty obvious that the song could do with a lot of revisions.
It's not just songwriting that evokes that kind of blind emotional ideology. Any of us who have a notion (always the best one) on how to do something or how someone else should do it are subject to falling into the trap of hiding behind divine inspiration as a defense for why ours is the "better" way. Since God told me to do it this way, I can't possibly be wrong. Actually, inside our own heads, our internal monologue is something like: Who are we kidding here? Mine is obviously the best way and the fact that the rest of these chuckleheads can't see that is sad.
That single-mindedness may not be driven by anything divine at all. Sometimes it's just a massive ego coupled with ignorance or the rejection of all other opinions. No amount of reason or logic will put a dent in it. You may remember Penny Wharvey McGill in O Brother Where Art Thou? telling her husband Ulysses Everett McGill, "I've spoken my peace and counted to three." Somehow, counting to three doesn't seem like it would be a game-changer. If the truth is not absolute but whatever you think or say it is, it quickly becomes relative. No further need of discussion or annoying facts.
For those of us who write for a living, the idea of not editing a first draft, be it a novel, speech, article, blog post, sales copy or song lyrics, is anathema. Putting elements together in pieces, then figuring out how to do it better, is one of the most pervasive principles of our lives. We write words to form sentences one at a time, crank out each automobile on an assembly line, fold clothes one piece at a time, line up in the cafeteria behind each other, put one foot in front of the other to walk and take one breath at a time to live. As we refine the process, we write better, make better cars, come up with more efficient closets, automate serving lines more, learn how to walk for maximum health benefits, and practice deep breathing exercises. That's the evolution of thought and behavior, and the work applied to make the changes.
In spite of our desire to bypass the work and our excuses for not doing it, the work remains and is unavoidable. If you do it by allowing your process to include research, rewrites, reality and relying on others' expertise, you've not only done it well, you've called on the universe to inform your work and it has responded.
Want to be great at what you do? Trust God. Oh, and tie your camel.
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