As we saw in last week’s blog, once I press “send” and the document wings its way over to you, the process is still not complete. It’s certainly better than a first draft — more like a fourth or fifth — but there’s still the crucial stage when you read the text, to see if it fits.

A bit like ordering clothes from a catalogue — it can meet all your specifications and be the correct size, but still not feel quite right. That’s not a problem — once the structure is in place, and the overall feel of the text suits you, we can always make alterations, just like a skilled tailor. A little nip here, a tuck there, until it fits perfectly. 

You may, for example, have comments on something that you feel doesn’t quite represent you, or an area of your portrait that’s been under- or over-emphasised. If it’s an About page we’re working on, you may have something you want to highlight in greater detail.

Or it may be that the very fact of seeing what I’ve written in black and white inspires a new angle or train of thought that you hadn’t considered before.

Not a problem — feedback and adjustment are part of the package — as long as you don’t decide you want to start all over again and write something entirely different! 

My clients often come back to me with comments, and I then retailor what I’ve written and send it off for final validation. That’s usually enough to deal with the remarks that need addressing, but there may be one round of final observations you have to make. That’s entirely acceptable too. Send them back to me and I’ll make those fine-tuned changes until you’re perfectly happy with the document.

Remember – my aim is for you to share what you’ve got as widely as possible. And for that, you need to be 100% happy with it. Only then will I also be 100% satisfied. 

Of course there may be further changes down the line — any text is a living, breathing thing, but at some point you have to let go, and at least let it make its way in the world for a while — that’s the only way to see how effective it is.