When I first started working
with one of my editors,
she’d give me vague instructions
like
“I want more world building.”
It was very frustrating.
I didn’t know what she meant by more
so I’d often give her too many
or too few words
and these words would be
in the wrong scenes.
Now she says
“I want 300 more words of world building
in this scene.”
I’m happy
because I don’t have to guess
at what she wants.
She’s happy
because I give her exactly
what she wants.
As Cheri Baker shares,
direct is clarity.
“I had a very soft and collaborative style
when I started as a manager,
and I was so worried about
wounding the feelings of my staff,
I wasn’t as direct as I needed to be.
I would point out problems
and give suggestions,
but I balked at saying
“I need you to do X”
or “I expect you to do Y”
because I felt such directness was unkind.
On the contrary,
my gentleness resulted
in a lack of clarity in some situations,
which didn’t benefit my team.”
Be direct
with your requests.