temperfect adj.
tem·per·fect /ˈtɛm-pər-fikt/
Temporarily perfect; describing a work-in-progress that is flawless relative to everything its creator has conceived so far, yet destined to feel incomplete the instant a new idea appears.
The fleeting state in which a draft, design, or section of prose contains every thought the author had up to that point—until the next thought shows up.
Irrecoverably unique; once a temperfect work is lost (deleted, overwritten, corrupted, etc.), it can never be truly temperfect again, because no reconstruction can guarantee every nuance of the original moment’s insight.
tem·per·fect /ˈtɛm-pər-fikt/
Temporarily perfect; describing a work-in-progress that is flawless relative to everything its creator has conceived so far, yet destined to feel incomplete the instant a new idea appears.
The fleeting state in which a draft, design, or section of prose contains every thought the author had up to that point—until the next thought shows up.
Irrecoverably unique; once a temperfect work is lost (deleted, overwritten, corrupted, etc.), it can never be truly temperfect again, because no reconstruction can guarantee every nuance of the original moment’s insight.
Novelist’s Journal, 10 a.m.: “Chapter 12 is temperfect—all foreshadowing lines up, the dialogue snaps, the symbolism is spot-on.”
4 p.m.: Laptop drive fails before the draft is backed up.
Next morning: “I’m rewriting Chapter 12 from memory. The plot still works, but I can’t shake the feeling some sentence, some subtle echo, is missing. The temperfect version is gone forever.”
4 p.m.: Laptop drive fails before the draft is backed up.
Next morning: “I’m rewriting Chapter 12 from memory. The plot still works, but I can’t shake the feeling some sentence, some subtle echo, is missing. The temperfect version is gone forever.”
by Blake McBride May 13, 2025