Everyone has heard the advice, "Write about what you know." That advice is sound 98% of the time. The exception: when the topic involves you too deeply.
I know a brilliant professor who wrote a query letter to an editor. Like all query letters, it aimed to "sell" the writer's idea for an article. But this idea was "sold" so poorly that I could hardly believe my brilliant friend had written it. Fortunately, he was smart enough to ask for help. Together we polished the letter until it truly showed his brilliance.
Another superb manager built a wonderful staff department. But in describing its services, he understated them over and over. Modesty? Perhaps. Good business? No.
I should not have been surprised. People write their own resumes notoriously poorly. Why? Their own egos seem spread out on the page, and the self-exposure makes them cringe. They often find it cruelly hard to write an effective proposal for a project that will involve them prominently.
In short, sometimes we are not the best people to blow our own horns.
At these times, the writer should seek help. A writing pro can get to know the writer, assess the writer's strengths, and make them shine.
No matter how skillful I am, sometimes I need another's perspective. It's why we have attorneys, coaches, agents--and editors.
Flesch Reading Ease 69.7 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 5.8
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