Everybody Needs an Editor

When I wrote my first book, I waited till I was about 95% done before I let anybody read any of it. It was too private. Too important. Too fragile.

But when I finally handed it to a couple of friends for "feedback" (surely I didn't need an editor), I didn't really like what they had to tell me. Now these are sweet people. They're not unkind. They're not overly critical. But it felt like they were suggesting we cut my baby's ears off.

Since then, my mantra has become "Fail early, fail often." My goal is to let others in quickly, before I become too protective of my work, my heart. It's scary to invite others' perspective, but it's less risky than performing without accountability. I want to live my best life and that's not possible without input from others.

Unsplash photo cred: Hans Veth