Howdy Modern Authors!

A few years ago, while writing Super Mentors, I became convinced I’d lost it.

Every chapter sounded terrible.
Every story felt obvious.

I remember thinking, “Maybe this book just isn’t that good.”

The funny thing?

I now realize almost every serious author eventually has that exact conversation with themselves. I call it the Familiarity Trap (trust me, if you've written a book or are in the midst of it, you'll know EXACTLY what I'm talking about).

A few weeks ago I was listening back to one of our Guest Faculty conversations. I'd spoken to author and comedian Maysoon Zayid about her author journey -- which was something unique to say the least (she was born with cerebral palsy making her writing journey require a lot of creativity and grit).

But it was one particular thing she said first made me laugh… Then it made me stop for a second.

She said:

At first... that sounds almost ruthless.

But keep listening.

Because she wasn't talking about talent.

She was talking about the emotional reality of writing.

Writing is solitary.

You spend months...
sometimes years...
living with the same manuscript.

Reading the same chapters.
Revisiting the same ideas.
Questioning whether any of it is working.

If you can't tolerate that process... writing becomes almost impossible.

Because great books aren't created by writers who avoid discomfort.

They're created by writers who learn how to work through it. And that's why anyone who has gone through a book knows they have to push through the Familiarity Trap.

You see, that Trap means the longer you stare at your manuscript… the less capable you become of reading it.

That's a very different challenge than most of us through we were signing up for.

Writing Was Never Supposed to Feel Comfortable

One misconception about writing is that experienced authors eventually stop doubting themselves.

I don't think they do.

The questions simply evolve.

Is this chapter working?
Did I explain this clearly?
Am I saying too much?
Not enough?
Is this actually the story I'm trying to tell?

That uncertainty isn't evidence you're failing.

It's evidence you're still engaged with the work.

Maysoon talked openly about returning to her own pages again and again.

Not because the first draft wasn't good enough.

Because that's where better writing comes from.

Books aren't discovered in moments of certainty.

They're developed through repeated encounters with uncertainty.

And I think that's a healthier expectation.

Instead of asking:

"Why does writing still feel hard?"

Ask:

"Am I doing the kind of work that's worth revisiting?"

Those are very different questions.

Great Revision Requires Forgetting

That's the thing about the Familiarity Trap... you need iterations to improve it, but the more you look at it, the harder it becomes to actually figure out what to improve.

And what I've found even more stunning is when authors use AI, it becomes even more difficult (well, Claude wrote this better than I possibly could... so I won't even bother to review it again).

When was the last time you reread one of your chapters... and realized you weren't actually reading it anymore?

You were remembering it.

That's the trap.

Your brain quietly fills in everything you meant to write...

instead of seeing what actually made it onto the page.

That's why one of Maysoon's habits really stood out to me.

She uses what she calls a "palate cleanser."

We think revision happens because we stare longer.

I’ve found the opposite.

The best revisions happen after you’ve forgotten what you intended to write.

That’s why Maysoon intentionally steps away.

She’s not avoiding the manuscript.
She’s resetting her reader.

I love that.

Because most people think revision looks like persistence.

Sometimes... revision looks like distance.

Distance allows you to stop being the writer... and become the reader again.

And that's usually where the best revisions begin.

The Difference Between Editing and Revising

Editing asks:

“How do I improve this sentence?”

Revising asks:

“Does this chapter deserve to exist?”

Editing improves language.
Revision improves thinking.

Editing makes a page cleaner.
Revision makes a book unforgettable.

Most authors spend far too much time editing… and nowhere near enough time revising.

The Modern Author Feedback Filter

Eventually every manuscript reaches the same moment.

Someone else reads it.

That's when things get uncomfortable.

Not because feedback is bad.

Because not all feedback deserves equal weight.

One of the smartest ideas from Maysoon's conversation was learning to separate feedback that improves the manuscript...

from feedback that simply reflects another person's preferences.

I've found it helpful to think about criticism in four levels.

Level 1 — Taste

"I wouldn't have written it this way."

This is preference.

Different styles.
Different voices.
Different creative instincts.

Listen respectfully.

But don't rebuild your manuscript around someone else's personality.

Level 2 — Clarity

"I don't understand."

Now we're getting useful information.

Especially if multiple readers become confused in the same place.

Repeated confusion is rarely a reader problem.

It's usually pointing toward:

• missing context
• weak structure
• unclear transitions
• assumptions the author didn't realize they were making

Level 3 — Emotion

"I didn't feel anything here."

This often reveals something deeper.

Perhaps the writing is protecting itself.

Perhaps the stakes aren't clear.

Perhaps the vulnerability hasn't reached the page yet.

Readers don't simply want information.

They want connection.

Level 4 — Truth

"This doesn't feel honest."

This is usually the hardest feedback to hear.

And often the most valuable.

Readers have an incredible ability to detect emotional shortcuts.

When they say something doesn't feel true...

they're often pointing toward the place where the manuscript still needs courage.

Some Notes Change the Entire Book

One of the biggest mistakes I see with authors is spending six weeks fixing commas… while ignoring the chapter that’s fundamentally broken.

That’s like polishing the paint on a house with a cracked foundation.

Not every editorial note carries the same weight.

Some improve sentences.
Others transform books.

Maysoon shared a story about working with her editor on her middle-grade novel.

One recurring note wasn't about grammar.
Or dialogue.
Or pacing.

It was about her main character.

The editor kept encouraging her to expand the character's emotional range.

To become more human.

More vulnerable.

More complete.

That wasn't a sentence note.

That was a book note.

Here's the distinction.

Sentence Notes improve:

• wording
• rhythm
• transitions
• grammar

Book Notes improve:

• emotional depth
• reader trust
• narrative clarity
• transformation

Later, Maysoon shared another story from her comedy career.

Someone told her one of her jokes had reopened a painful memory.

She realized the joke wasn't serving the audience the way she thought it was.

So she removed it.

Think about that.

The sentence may have worked.

But the reader's experience didn't.

Feedback isn’t voting.

You’re not looking for consensus.

You’re looking for diagnosis.

The Creative Recovery Cycle

Writers often feel guilty when they're not writing.

I think we should rethink that.

Recovery isn't the opposite of creating.

It's part of creating.

Here's the cycle I see in Maysoon's process.

1. Create

Show up.

Draft.

Think deeply.

Revise.

Stay with the work.

2. Step Away

Create enough distance to regain perspective.

Don't rush back into the manuscript.

3. Refill

Read.

Watch a great film.

Have conversations.

Experience life.

Creative work can't come only from output.

It also comes from input.

4. Reflect

Notice what suddenly becomes obvious once you stop forcing solutions.

Ideas often connect when you're no longer trying to make them connect.

5. Return

Come back with renewed perspective.

Not just fresh energy.

Better editorial judgment.

The goal isn't constant productivity.

The goal is sustainable creativity.

Your Process Doesn't Have to Look Like Anyone Else's

One of my favorite moments from the conversation came when Maysoon described how she actually writes.

She doesn't sit staring at a blinking cursor waiting for inspiration.

She builds stories in her head.

Then dictates them.

Then comes back.

Adds dialogue.

Makes scenes funnier.

Cuts characters.

Keeps refining until the story finally feels right.

Think about that for a second.

Most aspiring authors spend years searching for the perfect writing routine.

Morning pages.

Word-count goals.

Five a.m. writing sessions.

Productivity systems.

Maysoon built a process around how she thinks.

Maybe that's the better question.

Not:

"What's the best writing process?"

But:

"What's the process that consistently helps me produce my best work?"

Because consistency matters far more than imitation.

Honesty Gives Writing Its Depth

Most people assume memoir is where writers tell the deepest truths.

Maysoon challenged that assumption.

She talked about how fiction sometimes allowed her to tell an even deeper emotional truth.

That stopped me for a second.

Because facts and honesty aren't always the same thing.

Sometimes fiction creates enough distance for us to write about something honestly.

Whatever you're writing...
memoir...
business...
leadership...
or fiction...

the question isn't simply:

"Did this happen?"

It's:

"Does this help the reader understand something true?"

That's the kind of honesty readers remember.

Not because every detail is factual.

Because every emotion feels earned.

And Remember... Your First Draft Should Disappoint You

If you still love every page of your first draft…

you probably haven’t learned enough yet.

Great books become great because the author outgrows the first version.

The Modern Author Revision Loop

Capture → Distance → Diagnose → Discuss → Deepen → Release

Everything we've talked about ultimately comes back to one discipline.

Revision.

Not polishing.

Revision.

Here's the process I would encourage every Modern Author to use.

Stage 1 — Capture

Write before judging.

The first draft exists for discovery.

Not perfection.

Ask yourself:

• What surprised me?
• What idea wanted to emerge?
• What conversation am I really trying to have with the reader?

Don't interrupt discovery with editing.

Those are different jobs.

Stage 2 — Distance

One of the hardest parts of revision is that you're still reading what you intended to write.

Not what actually landed on the page.

That's why distance matters.

Use Maysoon's palate cleanser.

Read something else.

Take a walk.

Watch a film.

Live your life for a while.

Return when you can experience the manuscript a little more like your reader will.

Stage 3 — Diagnose

Most authors start revising too quickly.

I think they should start by observing.

Don't ask:

"How do I improve this sentence?"

Ask:

• Where did momentum slow?
• Where would someone start skimming?
• Where did I assume knowledge?
• Which sections feel emotionally safer than they should?

Diagnosis comes before editing.

Otherwise you're polishing symptoms instead of solving problems.

Stage 4 — Test

Invite thoughtful readers.

Don't chase unanimous agreement.

Look for patterns.

Repeated confusion.

Repeated emotional reactions.

Repeated blind spots.

Patterns reveal where the manuscript wants to improve.

One opinion is interesting.

Five people noticing the same thing...

that's editorial direction.

Stage 5 — Deepen

Only now should you begin strengthening the manuscript.

Increase emotional honesty.

Replace generalities with specifics.

Remove unnecessary explanation.

Clarify your thinking.

Raise the stakes.

Don't simply make the writing cleaner.

Make the reader's experience stronger.

That's the difference between editing words...

and improving books.

Stage 6 — Release

Eventually the challenge changes.

It's no longer revision.

It's avoidance.

Every manuscript reaches a point where another month of editing won't fundamentally improve the reader's experience.

That's when courage changes.

The courage is no longer rewriting.

It's letting the book go.

Because a finished book that helps people will always create more value than a perfect manuscript that never leaves your laptop.

The Real Job of a Writer

The difference between abandoned books and published books usually isn’t talent.

It isn’t discipline.

It isn’t intelligence.

It’s that one author mistakes discomfort for failure…

while the other recognizes it as evidence they’re doing the work.

Every great manuscript goes through the valley where you think:

“This isn’t very good.”

The authors who publish simply keep walking.

That’s the courage.

Not writing the first draft.

Returning for the tenth.

After working with more than 3,500 published authors, I’ve become convinced of something:

Most books don’t fail because they’re badly written.

They fail because the author started polishing before diagnosing.

Revision isn’t about making pages prettier.

It’s about making the reader’s experience better.

Great writers aren't the people who:

• never doubt
• never struggle
• never rewrite
• never receive criticism

They're the people who:

• revise anyway
• listen anyway
• improve anyway
• keep showing up until the work genuinely serves the reader

The goal isn't becoming fearless.

It's becoming the kind of writer who returns.

Again.

And again.

Until the manuscript becomes something worth handing to another person.

That's the courage.

👉 Listen to the full conversation here:

Maysoon Zayid on Writing, Cr... Mar 16 · Book Is the Hook 22:36   ​

Keep coming back to the page, my friends. That's where the book gets better.

Eric

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