some readers said it was too folksy and some said it wasn’t folksy
enough.
Remember my sales letter on Thoughtline? I rewrote that thing
a hundred times—maybe more—yet it still isn’t considered per-
fect. Just the other day I received an anonymous note from some-
one in response to that sales letter. She (or he) said, “I think this is a
horrible package you are offering, as it will contribute to the al-
ready illiterate, lazy-minded folks in this country. Please put your
intelligence and energy into a better serving area!”
What’s “perfect writing” then?
I have no idea. What’s perfect to me may seem like a baby’s first
draft to my agent. My job as a writer is to do the best I can. That
means writing with skill and precision, and then editing ruthlessly.
It also means letting go of the writing so it can go out into the
world and get whatever results it’s going to get.
You’ll learn more from the feedback you get than from the
rewriting you do. Input will give you concrete direction; rewriting
will give you hand cramps.
Again, I am notsaying mediocre writing is okay (though it often
gets published).
My message is this: Don’t let striving for perfection stand in the
way of getting results.
Finish the drafts you start. Edit the best you can. Then let your
work go.HYPNOTIC WRITINGccc_hypnotic_118-120_ch29.qxd 11/3/06 3:03 PM Page 120