Iterating in Public
It’s been so long since I’ve written anything but technical documentation that I feel like I’ve forgotten how. The beautiful words that give prose its color and texture have been relegated to a dusty box in the back of my brain. They’ve been replaced by simple, utilitarian words and short sentences as I aim to make instructions accessible to as many people as possible.
I have valid reasons for neglecting this space, mostly revolving around my health and mental energy (I’m optimistic that we’ve recently figured out a way to ease the worst of my symptoms.). I also have excuses, primarily rooted in fear. Maybe I’m no good. Maybe nobody will like what I have to say. Maybe I’ll incite a hate mob. Maybe I should just leave this writing stuff to the people who are actually good at it.
My husband’s friend Sean McCabe talks about iterating in public: Learning and improving your craft over time while sharing the journey with others. Giving yourself the permission and space to be imperfect (This is one of my biggest struggles. After I publish a post, I go back for days and tweak things.).
Additionally, Georgia Dow recently told me that she made a conscious decision to redefine what failure meant for her. For her, failure isn’t being unsuccessful at a given endeavor, it’s not trying.
So I’m going to take the advice of these two smart people and write publicly for all to see. My only failure will occur if I don’t actually try.