Learning From - And Avoiding - Mistakes

Not all your work will be your best - that's true of everyone in every undertaking. But if you want to be good at what you're doing, you have to make a point to learn from the experience and do things differently the next time. If you don't get better, you'll get worse by becoming calcified in untreated mistakes.

Ultimately, you become what you do, because what you do creates the expectations of the people you deal with, and they start putting you into a box by asking you to do more of the same. If you're taking assignments on quick turnaround on every manner of topic to essentially fill column inches, then you'll find you continue to attract similar assignments until you start to do something else.

That's fine if you're happy with the work you're doing, but if you're not and you can't stand reading your own pieces, then something is wrong. The promises of money act like a trap to draw you back to doing work that you'd rather not meet again, like running into an ill-advised one-night-stand at a party later in the week. ("Oh, how are you?" "Fine .... fine." Uncomfortable silence.)

You generally need a certain base of time and budgetary resources to perform adequate work. If you haven't been getting them, then it's time to find other clients who will provide what you need. Instead of cringing at work of yours that you didn't like, you can actually start running across articles that you think are pretty good, only to find they are ones you wrote and forgot.

Writing's Hidden Secret: Determination

Any writer who's been around for a while has heard a variation on the question of what it takes to be a good writer. The closest thing to a good answer I've heard has been determination. It's something that few writers talk about directly, even though they'll discuss logging large amounts of research time or submitting that novel to one more publisher. Every good writer I know well has multiple experiences of not being able to get a bit of information, a source, a section of an article to read well ... something ... and then continuing to push until things worked themselves out.

I had this happen recently in a business/law article, needing another in-house corporate source, and finally getting the main intellectual property lawyer at a huge corporation and perfect fit on the phone for a solid hour of conversation. The only reason I got an interview I wanted is because I never gave up. It can get a bit hair-raising, but I think determination is the real difference between being decent and really good. You must become completely unwilling to accept anything but what you are intent on getting. This sounds heavy-handed, but it's not. There's no brow-beating or begging involved. You just keep at it and at it until ... suddenly something comes along. It's the same attitude necessary to make enough money in writing and to write a good piece as well. You'll still miss the mark at times, but if you combine this with setting your goals high enough, you'll at least end up where you need to be.

Reaping What You Sow

I've been having what for me is an atypical experience: working as an editor on a large special feature for a magazine to which I regularly contribute. the editor had me work with several writers, and I've been coordinating and editing a large number of short pieces. What I'm getting to see up close is just how badly a writer can destroy a business relationship and develop a terrible reputation.

It's been interesting to see how three specific writers fell into categories, and how little things colored how I perceived them. One writer was great. Copy needed some editing, but that didn't matter, as each piece was slightly longer then I had requested and had most of the information I might want. the next writer was pretty good, but not as good. The differences were subtle. For example, the second writer had a couple of delays (but communicated and kept me informed), used an odd font in the story files (I had to adjust them to make them readily readable), and took a while to include all the information I needed in the format I wanted.

And then there was the third. I was able to catch the person in one outright lie after another; learned that the writer had missed an interview with a subject without immediately following up to fix the situation; would email to say "I'll have XYZ done by tomorrow morning," only to have the deadline pass without a peep; would ignore more and more harshly worded instructions I'd send; never responded to a phone call; offering one excuse after another; and during all this, would pretend that I had never mentioned some things and keep talking about how the writing would "sing." Too bad it was all off key, trying to get away with as little effort as possible for the assignment and pay (which, by the way, was hardly bad) and keep every dollar of assignment, no matter how much that might have screwed me or the magazine up.

I bet that the writer still thinks he/she was a) actually clever, b) good, and c) reasonably decent to deal with. I talked to two editors I know who had dealt with him, and heard stories ranging from only slightly better to just as bad and even worse. When talking with a third editor who didn't know the writer in question (but who has now added the name to his "black list"), we joked about knowing all the tricks becsue we've been on one or the other end of them in the past. If you think that you have never done any of this at any time in your working life, even in youth, then you are probably fooling yourself.

However, the important question is how do you relate to the rest of the industry today?; Are you trying to shave corners? Do you do things "your way" because that's the way you like it? If there are problems developing, are you quickly on letting your client know and working out other arrangements as necessary? Even worse, do you think things are fine because you don't hear anything negative?

One editor I spoke with said, who heard how hard I had been on the person, said, "You've inspired me. I think I'm not going to use X any more." Sometimes editors keep writers around out of inertia. They don't get rid of someone and find ways to cope. But tolerance doesn't mean welcome. You should do your own self examination and see where there's room for improvement, and then work hard to make the necessary changes happen. Don't depend on inertia, because eventually something will bump into the client, and by then, rescuing the relationship may be impossible.

Never Walk Away From the Good Fight

There will be times (if you haven't already seen them) that you are in conflict with a client. Perhaps it wants to unreasonably delay payment or demand significant more work for no extra compensation or ask you to shoulder other burdens that never were mentioned during discussions of the assignment. You may have talked to the people involved, trying to get a resolution, but to no avail.

I understand the reluctance to take significant action. A number of thoughts are running through your head - don't want to lose the client, I'm friends with the editor, what if they get angry because I hate conflict - as your emotions bubble over. And I certainly understand how you would prefer a reasoned solution that got you what you needed. Obviously if that is possible, then it's a good outcome.

But there will be times that does not happen, and the company is happy to string you along or out or whatever preposition best describes your state of misery. In those circumstances, for your own sake as a human being, you cannot back down or give in. To do so is to allow yourself to be stepped on. That sets a bad precedent for the future and puts you further into a frame of mind where you feel like you're getting what you actually deserve: "If it's happening, then I must have done something to bring it on." This is the abused spouse mindset, and one that you must discourage.

That doesn't mean you necessarily become crazed and demand a knock-down, drag out fight. However, you stand firm for what is right and take the actions necessary to see it happen. It's good for you, it's good for your family and friends - it's particularly important if you have children, because somehow they know when you act in a righteous, and not self-righteous, manner and it teaches them to stand up for themselves. It's good good for the writing community, and it's good for the world. If people firmly planted their feet at such times, we'd have far fewer tragedies, because we would not let things go so far.

Be firm and hold your ground. You did the work and they owe you the money. If they want more work, they can pay more money. Insist that they make good. And when they do act in a reprehensible manner, add your voice to the others descrying such atrocious behavior. The more you do this, the lest often you'll find people ready to take you on. You don't go into new business relationships with a chip on your shoulder and frothing at the mouth because you won't have to. People will just know. And, more importantly, you will know. You may win, you may lose, but you'll feel better about yourself no matter what.

Getting Outside the Comfort Zone

Go onto a writer's board and you'll see people looking for sources (sometimes even quoting writers with whom they have an acquaintance) or asking a host of different questions. No doubt that there are experts in various subjects to be found among writers, but getting the quick answer is often not the wisest decision.

It's an example of people operating inside their comfort zone. The same thing comes into play when writers shy away approaching new sources or editors. They may come up with a host of reasons, but they generally boil down to three: discomfort, fear, and wanting an easy answer.

I can understand the temptation, but it's a dangerous habit. When you stay inside the comfort zone, you are really reacting to a host of nameless fears nibbling at the edges of your psyche. You also teach yourself that comfort is your primary concern.

Neither is necessary, and there is a way to start breaking the cycle, though it's not a comfortable option. You start experimenting with doing the exact thing that bothers you. In other words, talk to strangers, approach editors, and do research for answers.

Consider what bothers you most - whether it's having to spend extra time or approach someone who might be hostile. Now assume that the absolutely worst will happen and do it anyway. It's like jumping into lake, except that you know the lake is really going to be cold for a few seconds. Often our fear of others is baseless, and for those few times that it's not, things will be over in a short time anyway. If things went terribly, you never have to deal with the person again.

The reason to do so is to remove the shackles of psychological slavery. Most of our weaknesses seduce us, but fear enslaves and tosses its victims into a dark locked room. Every time you do a small something that you fear, you loosen its grip. The benefits are enormous and will echo throughout every part of your life.