blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
WASH YOUR HANDS
Have you been washing your hands like a writer? Like a food service worker? Like a doctor?
During our weekly agent meeting online, the Books & Such agents have been reading and discussing Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant. They’ve been lively discussions as we’ve examined his theories, his excellence in storytelling, and how his observations can apply to the world of publishing–to publishers, editors, marketing people, content creators.
One of Adam Grant’s stories (no relation to Janet Grant) lingered with us weeks after the book discussion on that chapter.
Grant (Adam, not Janet) referred to a social/psychological experiment also reported in Psychological Science.
He and frequent co-author David A. Hoffman observed that although diseases are often spread in hospitals and clinics because health care providers fail to wash their hands, signage reminding health care workers to wash their hands is not a strong enough motivator. And the reason may surprise you.
WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE RETURNING TO WORK
By nature, health care workers volunteer to risk their own well-being and safety for the needs of others. They’re constantly putting themselves in harm’s way. They lose sleep for their patients, risk infection, pour themselves out for other people’s health needs. So a sign reminding them “Hand hygiene prevents you from catching diseases” was far less effective than one that tapped into their empathy and compassion: “Hand hygiene prevents patients from catching diseases.”
Only one word was changed in each sign: from you to patients. That’s a concept with which the caregivers could identify. Research reflected a significant uptick in thorough and frequent hand-washing when the emphasis was on the consequence to patients.
WASH YOUR HANDS LIKE A WRITER
Where’s the connection to us? Other than removing the evidence of deadline-week M&Ms or Cheetos, what does the writing world and hand-washing have in common?
You may have heard the phrase, “Good enough for who it’s for.” In addition to its rebellion against the principle of not ending a sentence with a preposition, the phrase always irks me, as it may you. It insinuates it’s okay to do the bare minimum, just enough to get by. It supports a quality of work that’s barely sufficient because the person on the receiving end doesn’t really know or care. Or worse–the worker doesn’t care enough about the recipient to do excellent work.
It’s sometimes the equivalent of phoning it in. Idiom dictionaries describe that phrase as doing something with low effort or enthusiasm.
Wise writers can’t afford to phone it in.
Even if the writer is personally satisfied with a “good enough” attitude, it’s not the writer’s risk that matters. Editors, agents, and readers are at risk of catching the fallout of insufficient effort.
WRITE LIKE YOU CARE
How does phoning it in (insufficient hand-washing) show up in a writer’s life?
- Queries that say nothing about the book but provide a link to the author’s website so the agent or editor can go searching for themselves if they want to. (They don’t.)
- Refer to a social media presence without actual numbers. (Do the work. Show you respect the agent’s or editor’s time.)
- Determine to write the story as it originally came to them in a dream rather than spending time honing and polishing the dream.
- Stubbornly refuse agent or editor counsel about writing for the reader.
- Cheat on research.
- Consider deadlines as suggestions.
- Independently publish prematurely, before the project has matured, been professionally edited, and the author understands both the publishing process and readers. As Robin Lee Hatcher says, “Don’t put your mistakes into print.”
- Fail to consider that poor sales of your book, or an awkward relationship with your publishing house, or your ho-hum attitude about your role in cooperative marketing efforts may affect someone else’s job. Some authors are only conscious of how a book’s success affects them personally. But editors’ positions within their publishing house may be on the line.
WRITE WITH EXCELLENCE
Excellence always. Because we care about others. Out of consideration for others. Because if we ignore the hand-washing sign, we’re not the only ones affected. Knowing that what we write will lose its ability to inspire, influence, and impact others if concern for others is not our strongest motivation.
(Note the difference between perfectionism–which can paralyze an author–and excellence.)
What are your thoughts? What motivates you to consistently make the choices that benefit the “health” of others through your writing?
I’m no psychologist, but I suspect that a large part of the ‘good enough’ attitude is rooted in failing confidence, and should be considered as a warning sign.
I’ll take the liberty o using myself as an example. When declining health started curtailing my life severely (as in now being up to even a car ride for over two years), it messed with my head as well. I lost ‘self-status’ as a person, and thus…the novels I was writing (and which now remain as WIPs) seemed a waste, coming from an inferior place…so I started ‘mailing in’ my effort.
That was the red flag.
And then the effort just stopped, and the rot spread. The blog I still write. people have said it should be condensed into a book for the dying and their caregivers, but while I can write individual posts, I can no longer see a coherent whole. I can water the trees, but I can’t see the forest.
This could have been easily avoided early, had I paid attention to the decline in my own diligence, and in my own desire to write the best story possible. I should have reached out, and said, “Hey, I’m having trouble; I’m losing motivation and having trouble making the effort”. Help was available, but my own pride (and a certain ignorance of what was happening) stood in the way.
There is an odd silver lining to this, in that I must have subconsciously recognized my growing failing, and poured extra care and effort into the work I did on behalf of others.
I may be totally off-track with this analysis, but it does seem to me that the main Lesson Learned is that lack of due diligence may be a symptom, and not a disease, and that the diagnosis may be far worse than mere laziness. Lazy can be cured; loss of meaning is a much tougher problem.
But always remember this; diagnosis is not destiny.
I love that… diagnosis is not a destiny. And you are right, “phoning in” is probably a symptom of more than just laziness, but each circumstance can be different. Sometimes it can go as deep as a spiritual deficiency. One of my life verses is Colossians 3:23.
“Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men,”
Colossians 3:23 HCSB
Who are you doing this for? Do you really want to serve Jesus less than your best? That, at least, is how I view it.
Crystal, you’re absolutely right. It can very much be a spiritual deficiency. And this can be fed by some of the more popular church messages.
It’s not easy, for instance to hear Joel Osteen boasting of having the favour of God upon finding a good parking spot at a crowded mall when one is having to do a field-expedient root canal on oneself, with a sharp-tipped scissors and high-proof alcohol swished in the mouth to ill the nerve. (Don’t try this at home…I mean, REALLY don’t try it.).
The message, absorbed subliminally, is that God has His favourites and His also-rans, and being at the back of the second pack…why do more than the minimum? And if you’re destined to lose, why even show up?
This is wrong in every respect, of course, so wrong as to be unrecognizable as any kind of Christian doctrine. But being wrong does not make its existence less real.
I’m relatively lucky in that I can fight this through identification with the Jesus of the Via Dolorosa, who’s very real and personal to me. He puts to shame the health and wealth and prosperity-gospel preachers.
And yes, the DIY dental work was a success, though it took many painful sessions.
But I guess that’s why they call Jack Daniels Doctor D.
Turning our thoughts intentionally toward the needs of others and our call to excellence is a great exercise, Crystal.
Beautifully expressed, Andrew.
And I meant the first comment, Andrew. 🙂
Write “heartily, as to the Lord” (Colossians 3:23).
* Thank you, Cynthia, for showing us what that looks like.
Grateful for your comment, Shirlee. Good verse to guide us.
That is so fascinating about how changing that one word changed the frequency of hand washing! It does make us pause to consider how our writing and effort means something and makes a difference to others besides ourselves. Thank you!
It’s good for all of us to consider, Kristen, no matter our profession. But the mindset shift does make a difference!
Another related concept may be of value to blog readers. The axiom holds true in publishing as in marketing: Don’t over-promise. Over-deliver. In our enthusiasm to convince an agent or editor what we can, will, or have done, if we over-promise and under-deliver, we’ve broken trust. Will Max Lucado REALLY endorse your book of equine poetry? Can you REALLY finish the manuscript in twelve days? Is it REALLY reasonable to expect that you’re assured a spot on Good Morning America for an author interview if the book is published? How much better to include reasonable expectations in the proposal and surprise the agent and editor with more than expected!
Sorry, I’m late to the table I had errands and then work. I just arrived home not too long ago.
Very interesting post Cynthia. As a nurse, I can say that changing the word does make a difference to care givers. One thing with care givers is they are always concerned about their impact on others. They want the interactions they have with those they care for to be positive in some way for their patients. Nurses who care, and don’t cut corners like myself, don’t understand how others can. Yes, the patient may not suffer but come on, do it right or don’t do it at all. In fact, if you’re not going to do things correctly and be an excellent nurse, then go be something else, and let someone else take your spot. It’s only right.
Transfer that to writing. If you refuse to write with excellence not caring about the effect of your lack of effort, short cuts, and attitude–among other things–on those who are affected by it, please go find something else to do. Just because you may be able to write adequately enough is not enough. There must be enough commitment, passion, and drive to do your very best for the outcome of your patients. Oops, I mean readers.
Seriously, let others who are willing to do hard work with excellence have at it. After all they are the ones willing to pursue those they serve with a clear purpose and an undying passion.
Great additions to this discussion, Elizabeth!
My motto has always been “If you don’t take the time to do it right in the first place, where will you find the time to do it over to fix it?”
Cheat on research…that made the scientist in me suck air through my teeth. I rewrote a section of my 3rd novel when I learned something new about Roman marriage law. I have to incapacitate the male lead in my WIP so he has to spend enough time with some Christians to overcome his hostility, and Andrew has been one of my best resources for traumatic injury info. He was able to tell me (from personal experience) that a femur breaks between the midpoint and the knee and you hear it snap when a horse rolls on it. I think I can make my readers cringe in sympathy when they read that in deep POV!
It isn’t just in our writing, but in everything that we should consider how our choices affect others for good or bad. “Do unto others…”
Paul’s instruction to slaves is good for us all. “Serve with your whole heart, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” Sloppy shortcuts and “good enough” don’t honor God.
The “phoning it in” attitude comes after hours of overtime. This is my cue to take a day, or 3, off.
Imagining the reader on their sofa, in their bed, or favorite chair reading what I’ve written motivates me to find the real story~the imagery that will change them forever.
Jo Ann, I appreciate the imagery of the reader on their sofa, bed, favorite chair and how that connects you to the real story!