Punctuating Reality

Photo by lara604

I’ve just come from reading a clear and concise e-book titled “The Road to Hell is Paved with Adverbs.” This book deals with the usage of adverbs in writing.

Patrick McLean, whom I first encountered as the author of the podcast ‘The Seanachai,’ has an excellent approach to information delivery. I’m going to make an assumption here and say that it’s probably a result of his years in advertising, which means trying to deliver information and emotion in a confined space where nobody really wants to listen to you anyway.

For a person or company to market effectively value must be provided in every interaction. This value is provided by good content. When I talk about this subject I get a lot of smiles and head nods. But very few people implement.
– Patrick E. McLean

In any event, if you are interested in writing — whether it be fiction, copywriting, or letters to your maiden aunt — I wholeheartedly recommend that you read this e-book. Then you’ll be able to note just how many unnecessary adverbs I’ve used in this post … I assure you, I’ve been paying much better attention since perusing Patrick’s book.

I’m also extremely jealous of his url. Wish I’d thought of that one!

Enjoy!
Heidi

Photo source: Andrew Eick via Flickr.

Have you ever had a project that had to be just right?  Or a special occasion you were planning, which was incredibly important to you?  Perhaps you have started a business, or wanted to build your own website.

Remember how every part had to be just right, and you weren’t really sure you could let anyone else do anything? I mean, you were just going to have to redo their work, right?

You’ve got the Baby Syndrome.  You not only have to micromanage your project, you pretty much do or redo everything to do with it, trying to get it perfect.  And yet, many times, parts of your ‘baby’ needed to be completed that you had no experience with. Perhaps you tried over and over and just couldn’t satisfy yourself.

Did you end up trashing it all?  Or did you settle for an inferior product?

Why is it so hard to let go and let someone who has actually been trained in and practiced over and over take part in making your baby a thing of beauty?

For me, personally, it’s usually ego.  Hey, if anyone can do it, I can.  After all, I know exactly what I want, right?  Well, I usually have an idea of what I like. Or I could pick it out in a line-up.  “Yeah, the one on the right, that looks about right.  No, not the one with the mustache. The other one.”

But I’ve finally faced the music.  I can’t design anywhere near as well as someone who is trained as a graphic designer.  And I don’t know user experience the way someone who has made it a life’s obsession does.

I shouldn’t be too proud, too involved, or too afraid to ask for help.  Or my ‘baby’ (usually a website or something else that needs artwork and color coordination) will disappoint me, and be ineffective in what I want it to do.  I focus on my strengths – transmitting information via the written word.

Do what you do.  And if you need something else done, if it’s important enough to you, you’ll find someone to do it right.