The End of Summer and Beginning of Fall
We’re closing in on Labor Day!
The question: Is it the end of summer or the beginning of the last third of the year? It’s the question I’ve been asking myself for the past week or so as the fall looms with beginnings of new projects!
For many of us, summer is a little lazy. Q2 is on track, the weather is warm, vacations call. Even when you have ambitious vision, you get bogged down. The deadline pressure mounts, and at some point, you just have to tackle it. (The 25-minute timer has gotten a workout at my desk this summer. IYKYK.)
As an independent editor and writer, I want to do it all, but I over-committed myself this summer. Not only did I forget that I dislike working 50 hours a week, I had to let a project go that wasn’t a great fit. As much as I hate to let clients down, I don’t want to promise something I just can’t do for them.
The thing about being your own boss is that it’s you – and you alone – who hold yourself accountable. It’s not something a lot of books talk about: What happens when you make a bad call? There’s no boss to say “We need to have a conversation about this. What happened?” As a manager, I’ve had to ask that question, and it was never to rub in the failure, but to diagnose what went wrong. It was to ask “How can we be successful when this happens in the future?” When you work for yourself, those tough conversations are between you and you.
The key is to focus on the lessons you learned. What went wrong in the client intake/project assessment process? Should I have sought help on a better exploration of their ideas? How could I have rescheduled the project instead of beating myself up for the delays? Sometimes, even with all of the controllable factors, a project just isn’t the right one. When I take on a book, it’s generally because I see a clear path. I can envision how we’re going to get to where we’re going. I know what I’m going to write or edit. In this case, I didn’t, so that’s a lesson, too. The good news is that I have some incredible clients and exciting books in the works — more soon!
On to some interesting insights I’ve run across this summer.
August is transitional. In some cultures, August is a month of great transition. For me, it’s a great time to review your first half and recommit to your 2nd half goals. If you’ve fallen short, you still have time to salvage the end of the year, and if you need to make an adjustment or try something new, it’s the perfect time. Academics are returning from summer break full of ideas. Business people are recharged. And in August, I can strategically plan for success as I come screeching into September.
Let’s talk about AI: Everyone has thoughts on AI and what it will mean for writers and scholars in the future. It’s become an incredibly polarizing topic, especially in academia, and I can see why. If you’ve taken the time to play around with it this summer, you’ll have discovered how scary it can be. You also may have discovered that it’s not always what it’s cracked up to be. Inaccurate information, flat writing, and repetitive content. (I had it try to “correct” my writing once and it was painful – worse than an editor who puts articles through a grammar program.) So what do you do about AI? You can’t dismiss it entirely and you sure can’t ignore it. It can have uses. Marketers will find it saves a ton of time for cross platform content creation. Scholars may find that it helps them explore concepts they didn’t consider. And writers of all stripes may find that sometimes, a query via ChatGPT might get them started where they were stuck. Even if it gets it all wrong, a professional will correct, rewrite, and generate something completely different. The key will always be to keep experimenting and decide for yourself.
Tony Scott-Green Inspiring Us All: Many years ago via a good friend, I was fortunate enough to meet Chicago’s wonderful Tony Scott-Green, who has made a name for himself as a film composer, musician, and all-around smart guy. Lately, he’s been sharing his musical world with some great life lessons on Instagram. His lessons are great reminders of why you should run to the next opportunity (drummers, listen up!) And his story about the meeting that made him cry? It almost made me cry but left me asking “what is your one thing?”
What I Learn from Recipe Testing: I write books and proposals for books for authors all over the world. But I also edit cookbooks. (And some fun ones, too like Mary Berry’s latest!) But recently, I was testing some plant-based recipes and thought about what we can learn via testing, aside from needing more baking soda or less cane sugar. Sometimes, a business process or team leadership is like recipe testing. It requires some problem solving. If the cake – or the project – doesn’t meet expectations, it can take some skill to sort out why. Whether you’re testing a system or a recipe, here are a few rules for success.
- Stick to the plan. A recipe is a plan just like anything else. To confirm the plan is going to work, follow instructions. It’s not the time to improvise.
- Find solutions. Sometimes a recipe (or a plan) may need some slightly different ingredients in order to work properly. Maybe the ingredients it calls for aren’t available. Sometimes, you have to get creative with substitutions. (And sometimes, they’re right in front of you.)
- Realize when to let go. Sometimes a recipe is just broken. Maybe the ingredients, temperatures, or techniques just don’t translate. If that happens, it’s time to scrap it and regroup.
- Look at the bigger picture. Sometimes, you can get so bogged down in the timing, steps, and consistency, that you forget to consider the outcome. Imagine what you’re missing. When we build a cookbook, we look at a wide variety for success. Don’t forget to consider the outcome.
- Recognize the limitations/advantages around you. Sometimes, you have to adjust your own expectations. You’re testing their process, not yours. When problem solving and staying true to their ideas.
Celebrate the Small: I’m a fan of the evening newsletter from Axios which often contains an inspirational link or two. A few weeks ago, they featured some tips based on Gretchen Rubin’s terrific new book Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World. After faced with the possibility of losing her sight, the author began to focus on all of life – not just the big moments. Her advice? Celebrate the small things all around us every day – not just the phone-photo worthy moments.
Indulgence Days: You’ve heard of “mental health days,” right, taking a day off for a bit of a reset? What about “indulgence days?” Scott Hutcheson, strategist, author, professor, and speaker has this to say about indulgence days. “We are working with a leader who is putting this practice into place with their team. Once per quarter, each team member gets an Indulgence Day and the boss pays for it – up to $250. Some team members book spa days, others hit the golf course. Another went on a shopping spree. It turns out that this can actually be quite strategic.” I love his premise that rewards and planned moments of pleasure can sometimes be exactly what we need.
Finding that Spark: I had lunch with a friend a couple of weeks ago and we talked about getting out of the day-to-day grind and carving out time for your own creative projects. I had some ideas and shared them on my website. The lesson? Take the leap. Pull that old project off the shelf. Attend a workshop. Sign up for a class. Find your spark.
I’m excited about the rest of the year even though I have some holes to fill in my schedule. If you’re thinking about getting a project moving or your publisher or agent reaches out suggesting you get some professional help (editing help, that is), let me know!
Publishers, I have some openings for projects this fall – let’s create something fun!
Inspired? I want to hear what you’re working on.
Let’s connect online:
At my website: connectorcreator.com
On Facebook: Renee Wilmeth
On Instagram: @feedmedrinkme
At LinkedIn: Renee Wilmeth
Contact me about ghostwriting and development projects for Q4 and 2024. (As always, you can see my list of topic specialties and what I can do for you.) If we’ve worked together, referrals are great, too. Let’s keep connecting!
Warm regards,
Renee Wilmeth
Connecting. Creating. 
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