MarkRMorrisJr.com

Honestly, it was more like one of those "I'm not a thought leader, but I play one on the internet" situations. Here's how it happened. 

A friend of mine  is a spokesperson in the HR field. She wrote a social media guide a few years back that kind of catapulted her into minor internet celebrity status. I won't tell you who she is, because, well, I'm a ghostwriter. Once this happened, all kinds of interesting opportunities exploded for her and she took on more consulting work than she could manage with a full time job, so she made a career change to consulting and speaking on HR. 

Her consulting took off, and to keep it going, she had a huge need for content. She wasn't in the position to attract high level guest bloggers yet and wanted to establish her own byline, so she turned to me to produce posts for her from her bullet point outlines. 

That's where it gets interesting. Sure, I'm a writer. But the thing is, I've never, like ever, spent any time in a traditional office. I spent about three months one time as a telemarketer, and one of the cabinet shops I worked in when I was young had an HR department. That's the extent of my experience with HR. 

But it didn't really matter, because, as it turns out, being a thought leader really just means synthesizing what others say and having an opinion. So, I followed her bullet points and crafted what she kept insisting was really great content, and apparently it worked, because now she can attract the kind of high profile guests she needs to drive more traffic. 

I'm getting to it. Here's the thing, you think you know who you're listening to. You think that pastor, or speaker, or CEO is BRILLIANT BEYOND WORDS! And, maybe, like my friend, they are. It may also be that they have some help from an outside voice in the form of a  ghostwriter. Way more of the "bestsellers" than you would believe are not crafted by the "authors" themselves. Neither are the speeches they give at conventions and workshops that draw thousand of dollars in entrance fees. 

Nope, more often than not, it's a guy like me, sitting at a keyboard, wherever he wants to be in the world, synthesizing the information into a palatable form. Of course, without my friend, I'd never have even considered writing about HR, because I lack experience in the field, but with the right resources, even you could become an expert that people will not just listen to, but share with others. 

Writing a novel is like taking a vacation to a world you know better than anyone, where you can
read the mind of every person you meet. It’s an amazing escape from the day to day. Then comes
the editing.

A lot of authors hate it, but here’s my question, why? Did you not write a story you love? I don’t write
anything I wouldn’t read, over and over. To me, the editing process is like preparing for guests, that
I really like, to come over. Sure, it’s work, but it’s not the same as just cleaning the house to have the
family come home and dirty it again, it’s exhilarating,

I get to meet those characters again, and clarify their actions and words before the audience arrives.
Maybe it’s the stage director in me, wanting the lights, the set, the costumes and finally the
performance, to be perfect for that audience. I want them to experience it the way I experienced it,
immediate, and powerful, exploding in the mind, seeing every scene as if they are standing right there
as it happens in real time!

So, if you ask me to delete my extra “that”s and commas to keep from confusing the audience, great,
let’s do that! If I need to polish a character’s dialog to make  it funnier, more brutal, or just make it
make sense, why wouldn’t I be excited about that?

With every edit I complete, I’m getting one step closer to lifting the curtain, to revealing this amazing
world that didn’t just pop into my head, but stayed there until I had no choice but to share it.

What I’m trying to say is this, I think editing is only a chore, because we think of it as being one. When
we’re in the creative flow of the first draft, no one’s complaining about the drudgery. No, we get lost
and spend hours without realizing it, tapping the keys, turning the pages. So, why should our attitude
be any different in editing?

I think it’s because we take it personally. Although every well paid, famous writer on earth tells us that
the real work is in the editing, and rewrites, we think our work springs out of our butts fully formed and
ready for the Pulitzer committee. Am I right? I think the key may be in thinking of the story as “finished”
when we type the last sentence of the first draft. That’s silly.

That would be like saying a house is complete because you built the frame. No roof, no walls, no
windows, carpets, or hardwood floors, just the outline of a house. The first draft is often like this. If
you’ve done this a lot, you may get a lot closer to a finished product in your first draft, but nobody
hangs the drapes and touches up the paint, installs that last switch cover, in their first pass on
something as complex as a novel. Nobody.

So, next time you’re in that editing mode. Here are two things to try. First, you could try seeing the first
draft as laying the foundation, it’s a proof of concept, you’re making sure your story and characters
hold up. Second, you could do what some do, and edit as you go. I don’t recommend it, but if having
an unfinished product after finishing the first draft is a bummer for you, you might try it.

Either way, the one thing you should never, ever do, is insist that the audience just deal with your
idiosyncrasies. Sure, you’re unique. You may have a style all your own, and that’s cool and all, but
writing it in all caps, and not spell checking, should never be an option, unless you want the well
deserved criticism that comes with it.

If you want to be a writer, create a healthy relationship with editing. You’re going to spend a lot of time
there. Find a way to make it a good thing. .