My barber said my first draft looked like a 'good haircut from a bad angle'

I was getting a trim yesterday and mentioned I was stuck on a story. He said, 'Let me see that thing,' and read a page on my phone. He pointed at a messy paragraph and said, 'This is like a good haircut from a bad angle. The shape is there, you just gotta move around it.' It hit me that I was too close to see the structure. Has anyone else had a non-writer give you the exact advice you needed?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix_carter13d agoMost Upvoted

Guess your plumber was the real editor, not the guy with the wrench.

xena27720d ago

My plumber once read a chapter over my shoulder while fixing a sink. He said the main guy talked like someone reading a manual, which was spot on because I'd overwritten all the personality. Fixed it by just letting the character be grumpy.

parker_sullivan20d ago

That's a great story. Did the plumber have any other writing tips while he was under the sink?