It’s not enough to be right.

Issue #281 of the Better Humans Newsletter. Subscribe here for inspiration and knowledge. [Tony Stubblebine](coachtony?source=email-c7f27b30bfea-1666232051364-newsletter.subscribeToProfile-7038e003d060------------------------ab7b0b27_4413_4bb9_adf2_1b1d2a2412b6--------de6e5ad096a9)[Tony Stubblebine](coachtony?source=email-c7f27b30bfea-1666232051364-newsletter.subscribeToProfile-7038e003d060------------------------ab7b0b27_4413_4bb9_adf2_1b1d2a2412b6--------de6e5ad096a9) in [Better Humans](   ∙  3 min read   ∙  [View on Medium]( It’s not enough to be right. Issue #281 of the Better Humans Newsletter. [Subscribe here]( for inspiration and knowledge. ··· There’s some writing advice that I heard from Tim Ferriss but I think is attributed to Neil Strauss. It is roughly: “Write the first draft for yourself. The second for your fans. The third for the haters.” That’s just a catchy way of saying that you need to do separate edit passes for each persona in your audience. Not everyone is so lucky to have haters. For my third draft, I think instead, “how will this be misinterpreted?” That audience isn’t haters, but they are the ones with potential for interpreting things that conflict with your goals as a writer. But I don’t ask myself this question until I’ve gotten through the first two drafts. So for example, when I write these newsletters I write a first draft, by hook or by crook, trying to take the nugget of an idea and make it coherent to myself. It’s not quite “sit down at a typewriter and bleed,” but it’s close. Then I do an edit pass trying to make it read well to my core audience. This is a newsletter that’s more than a year old and so there’s some shared history and understanding. I’m aiming for clarity. Only then do I think about who is going to misunderstand me. I think first of my coworkers. Do you see now how “hater” is a hyperbolic word? I like using work examples but I don’t want my coworkers thinking I’m doing the Medium equivalent of subtweeting. Then, more recently, I started taking into account authors on Medium. For example, here I am giving writing advice. Do I intend that to be the official Medium policy on how every single writer here should edit their work? No. No. No. I think that by volume, most writing on Medium is self expression. It’s enough to do zero edit passes. If you are writing as art, then do art. Screw the haters and just write what feels honest to you. But then there are other times when you are writing to convince, persuade or teach. My first thought is the divisiveness of politics. But it’s really more common that you are talking to coworkers or other people that are theoretically on your team. In those moments, you want them to understand you correctly. In those moments, it’s not enough to be right. You also have to be effective. This, btw, is one of those points where I’m worried about subtweeting my coworkers. I honestly can’t remember if I’ve said this “it’s not enough to be right” to any of them, but I have said this at other companies. I’ve run into so many situations where a person was frustrated that their “good idea” hadn’t been accepted. Well, it’s not enough to have a good idea. You also have to convince other people that it’s a good idea. This phrase is the connection between this writing advice and all sorts of situations. How do you communicate with your family, a clerk, your doctor, etc? You have to start thinking beyond just being right. ··· There is a grey area here. How much responsibility do your readers have? I like to think they have a fair amount. Communication is a two way street and readers have a lot of leeway to choose how they will interpret something. But then again, if you as a writer know you have the skill to take more responsibility, why wouldn’t you? [Reply to this story](mailto:tony+newsletter@tonystubblebine.com?subject=Re%3A%20It%E2%80%99s%20not%20enough%20to%20be%20right.)[View story]( Sent to {EMAIL} by Tony Stubblebine on Medium [Unsubscribe]( from this writer’s Medium emails [Unsubscribe from all]( newsletters sent using Medium Medium, 548 Market St, PMB 42061, San Francisco, CA 94104[Careers]( Center]( Policy]( of service](