How to write: The critic hat
Whenever I write an article, I am trying to remember to take a few hats. When I finish each fragment, I put on the first one: The critic hat. So I think like a person who is not going to like this article and find the arguments and objections. If I have more time, I imagine that the text was written by someone I don’t like and I try to bend him with a good point.
There are more hats I wear - for instance, a hat of the resentful. I imagine being a person who might be offended. It doesn’t mean I necessarily change my text to annoy him less. Truth needs to be told and offending is sometimes the best way to help someone (rarely though). Though I think about how it might influence him.
I sometimes wear different hats as well. I think what my authority, my parents, fiancé, brother, or even my grandma would say about it. I am not trying to make them all happy at the same time, as this is the perfect recipe for failure. Though I am trying to be aware of what they would say and feel, and based on that make the best decisions.
I think that we all should remember to have those hats with us, especially when we:
- write texts,
- make decisions that influence others,
- create things that might influence others.
This is being responsible.
The final test of not being ashamed of your text in front of these people is sending it to them and listening openly to their thoughts about it. From my experience, before we send any text to someone important to us, we will review it again and change some things until we are sure we will not be ashamed of it.
Make yourself proud of your text. Then be proud.
