Confession of the Bad Self-Editor

I started my career with very little written correspondence. A couple of letters a day to clients, usually nothing more than a slightly revised form letter. "Thanks for your interest..."

Now we all write all the time. Email and text if nothing else. Personal and professional. Considered and rushed. Life has become an endless stream of writing. I'm still learning.

For the last 4-5 years, many branding experts have been proposing that branding is storytelling. And while storytelling is verbal, it is also written. I'm still learning.

The hardest part for me is editing. It's not practical to have another person edit all your correspondence. But truth be told, I hate editing. It's my arrogance that gets in the way, but I'm still learning.

Most times I'm left with the task of self-editing (by choice or practicality). Lately, this is the mental checklist I use.

Grammar and Spelling: Obvious yes, but it still bites me occasionally. Learning not to rely 100% on spellcheck.

Flow/Plot: For business writing, set the context and then present in a logical flow. I learned this at P&G and it haunts me still today.

Simplicity: Delete. Delete. Simplify words. Simplify concepts. Delete. Trim. Always less than one page. Always less than 10 slides.

Voice: I find that I tend to write like a know-it-all. Everything is written in a persuasive voice. I'm learning that today's audiences are often better reached in a more conversational, "walk with me" voice. Back to that arrogance thing again.

I'm ok at the first two points, but the last two are blind spots for me. Complex, verbose, buzz-word writing shows expertise. Right? Wrong. Arrogant, self-important voice impresses the audience. Right? Wrong. So at least I'm self-aware. Now what?

Any advice? I'm still learning.