If No One Is Pushing Back on You
I’ve been thinking about thought leadership lately.
Because sometimes challenging a manuscript or the thinking inside it is uncomfortable. And risky.
When I question an assumption, flag a weak argument, or point out where a reader might disengage, it isn’t doubt.
It’s protection.
Protection of the work.
Protection of the author.
Protection of the idea before it meets the world.
I’ve seen what happens when that protection isn’t there.
An author once came back to me a year after we first spoke, manuscript in hand, and realized she needed to rewrite the book almost entirely. Because the foundation was misaligned.
The wrong structure.
The wrong emphasis.
It’s the kind of thing that’s hard to see from inside your own thinking.
I’ve also seen the opposite.
Authors who moved through their manuscript in record time, because they weren’t circling uncertainty. The direction was clear.
I’ve seen chapters added that almost didn’t make it in – chapters that ultimately made the book.
I’ve seen writers hone their voice into something they were proud of, because someone was willing to say:
“This part isn’t landing yet.”
“You’re playing small here.”
“A reader will question this.”
That’s not criticism.
That’s advocacy.
Every serious thinker has blind spots.
Every manuscript has places where it can collapse under scrutiny.
What we’re really building is resilience in the work.
So when readers question it, it holds.
When critics push back, it stands.
When time passes, it still feels relevant.
Resilient writing doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens when someone is willing to pressure-test it with you, before the world does.
And a few other things...
• I’m honored to be a finalist for the CANREADS award for women’s fiction. Thank you for cheering this book on.
• I loved this perspective from music producer Rick Rubin on the secret to success.
• Watched I, Tonya with Margot Robbie last weekend and was reminded how powerful great writing can be.