Daring to be Wrong
I have often seen writers asking the most basic questions, even when they've been in freelance writing for a while. I don't mean fundamental questions, like what are some principles that can help me find my direction. I mean basic, such as do I mention that a mutual acquaintance the editor and I have suggested I pitch, or am I allowed to call an editor?
Although I do believe in the adage that no question is too foolish to ask, I think we all have to temper that with another: if you're going to ask a question, understand why you do. The answer for many writers, including a number who have many years of experience under the belt, is that they ask questions because they're afraid of making even the slightest mistake. That in itself is close to the biggest error you could conceive.
There is no way you can ever come close to complete certainty. As in any activity, you cannot just read how to do it. The only way to learn is to try and to make mistakes. There will be times you say or do the wrong thing. Don't worry so much. So long as you're not doing something like making up a story or delivering excremental effort to a client or insulting people, you're not going to do irreparable harm to your business.
It's as though people want a set of rules and checklists to follow that will guarantee success. But the more specific the prescriptions, the less flexible they can be and the more certainly you will settle on something that cannot work all the time. In other words, the more you try to get the complete and exact list of steps you need to succeed in business, the more you set yourself up for failure.
The important thing is to learn the underlying principles, not their specific applications in all circumstances, because what will work for you will not necessarily work for me. Just try to practice the following:
Although I do believe in the adage that no question is too foolish to ask, I think we all have to temper that with another: if you're going to ask a question, understand why you do. The answer for many writers, including a number who have many years of experience under the belt, is that they ask questions because they're afraid of making even the slightest mistake. That in itself is close to the biggest error you could conceive.
There is no way you can ever come close to complete certainty. As in any activity, you cannot just read how to do it. The only way to learn is to try and to make mistakes. There will be times you say or do the wrong thing. Don't worry so much. So long as you're not doing something like making up a story or delivering excremental effort to a client or insulting people, you're not going to do irreparable harm to your business.
It's as though people want a set of rules and checklists to follow that will guarantee success. But the more specific the prescriptions, the less flexible they can be and the more certainly you will settle on something that cannot work all the time. In other words, the more you try to get the complete and exact list of steps you need to succeed in business, the more you set yourself up for failure.
The important thing is to learn the underlying principles, not their specific applications in all circumstances, because what will work for you will not necessarily work for me. Just try to practice the following:
- Put your client's interests before your own.
- Do your best and then keep trying to surpass it.
- Remember what you need out of your business and don't dishonor it.
- Acknowledge all the help and luck you have had and do what you can for others.
- Say no to the unethical and odious.
- The business is about relationships, not about words.
- The sooner you make the first 5,000 mistakes, the sooner you can learn and improve.
Labels: learning, principles, strategy
posted by Erik Sherman | 4:47 AM
1 Comments:
Great topic for a post, I follow a couple of forums and am always surprised at the underlying level of insecurity.
IMHO, one of the things that contributes to writerly anxiety about doing it right is the *enormous* industry of how-to manuals, advice books and classes.
I'm all for studying, improving etc. but a lot of the material seems to focus on the "perfect query" or a lot of etiquette issues, which, as you point out, don't really have black or white answers...
cal
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