Fall Into Advice

As the Autumn colors swirl around us, the first pluck of crisp air has begun this weekend. For the first time this season things were slightly cooler, friends gathering for a roasting of hot dogs and marshmallows over a fire. The true earmark of fall settled into place. Among all this beauty was another far more emotional kind. I was invited to a wedding very close to my heart. Even more, I was given the honor of preparing a toast for the bride and groom. I'd been given the chance to prepare for this event for months. Written at least a dozen variations of the speech, going over it time and again. I had even given it to a friend and said "What do you think? It's good, right? It really captures them." She adamantly agreed, it was perfect. But, perfect in what way?

The weekend of the event came, and swiftly I was transferring my speech to notecards. But, a few sentences in, I began looking over the entirety again. Despite my friend encouraging me it was great, despite the fact that I trusted her to be an editor and give honest advice, I still found something off. Quickly, I took my speech to a fellow creative. A lyricist, his whole creative field was putting things impactfully in small spaces. I asked him, "Read over this and give me creative criticism. I need to know what's wrong." He read over it again. This time he looked harder, quirked his mouth, then said "I think there are some more details than you need here. It would hit harder if you cut these few details. This at the end, we don't need a number, just say 'these' and I think you'll be spot on." Quickly, I made another pass as I wrote it on to notecards. He was right. A fresh set on eyes a few cuts and it made all the difference.

This is a prime example of the rule of thumb: Get a second pair of eyes. If you can't pay an editor, and sometimes we can't. We've all been there. That month, your manuscript just needs your own best elbow grease. But you can always get a fresh set of eyes. When you do, make sure to ask for honesty. Creative criticism. Asking my own good friend "What do you think?" made her think I was curious about the topic. If it was sweet, if she liked my style, if it was appropriate for the wedding. But I didn't ask her: "Can you give me your critique? I want to know what I should fix." Your friends and loved ones hesitate to give you honesty if you don't specifically ask for it, and even when you do they might be nervous! But, usually, your closest friends can love you enough to give you that brutal honesty.

You just have to be open enough to let them get a little tough. Sometimes you are not really around other creatives in your daily life, and that's why we offer things like Writers In Residence, and have free writing groups all over the KC Metro area! You can come ask US for that hard advice and we'll see if we can help! Support is priceless! Even if you can't quite afford, or aren't quite ready, to pay our Erudition of Editors to do that hard work, get a second pair of eyes on it. You will thank yourself later, when you're looking back at a speech you wrote for a wedding and asking "Why did I think I needed to say so much about coffee beans?" (It was a beautiful analogy for love, trust me, but I didn't need to talk about Ph Balances.)

Well, I hope you're having fun in the fall leaves, enjoying the firelight under the bright stars, and growing inspiration for your next written journey. Wherever you are, keep looking for that silver lining!