Overcome Your Blind Spot
How to see what you're missing
Almost all of my authors have blind spots in their books or book proposals.
A blind spot, as I use the term, is a place where a piece of the book, book proposal, or concept is in your head but not clear on the page.
Your book takes shape in your mind before you do anything on a page. You work through scenarios, explanations, themes, plot points, processes, etc., before you even type a word. However, the finished product might not clearly explain all those things.
Imagine that your spouse does something that annoys you. If you talk to your sister about it, she already knows the entire family history, why your spouse said what they said, why it pushed your buttons, and all of the subtext of the situation. So you have a shorthand when you discuss it. You don’t have to explain everything. You can say, “They said XYZ,” and your sister will immediately say, “Oh my God!”
But if you had coffee with a new friend, they wouldn’t understand any of this. So if you told them, “My spouse said XYZ! Can you believe it?!” they likely wouldn’t get it at all. You would need to give them the background, the context, and the history. Once they know all of that, they understand how you feel, but until then, it doesn’t add up.
The same thing often happens in your book (or book proposal sample chapters). It makes perfect sense to you, but there are pieces missing that the reader needs to completely understand.
In Nonfiction
If you’re writing nonfiction, it’s probably a topic that you’re very experienced in: something you’ve taught, lived, coached, experienced, or fully worked through yourself. You understand this concept or, if it’s your memoir, the story, like the back of your hand.
When you write about it, you aren’t a beginner to the topic, so you are likely unable to think like one (and that’s good!).
But your reader is new to this—to your concept, your story, your characters, your process, or the skill you are teaching or showing. They don’t have your background and experience. They are a beginner and they need all the background.
When you write it, there are likely pieces of the book that seem completely natural and obvious to you. And because of this, some of that doesn’t actually make it onto the page. Your own mind is so far advanced with this topic that you don’t even think about the initial building blocks or explanations.
In Fiction
A similar thing happens with fiction because the story is fully formed in your head. You know these characters and their lives. And you probably have done a million rewrites where you cut or moved things. The actual backstory, motivation, or thought process is obvious to you because it’s in your head, but it might not actually make it on the page (or it did, and you cut it or changed it).
Finding Your Blind Spot
The thing about a blind spot is that you don’t know you have it, which can make it really hard to identify and fix.
I tell my writers that one way to find this is to try to read their work with fresh eyes, like a beginner. Pretend you know nothing about the topic of the book or the story. Actually read the words on the pages (not what is in your head). Make sure that everything that you teach, show, or tell actually has a basis or background or is actually supported by what came before it in the book or chapter.
This means flipping back to make sure what you think is there is actually there. Don’t trust your brain. Look for proof. Be a detective and make sure everything is fully supported on the page.
Often, the best way to identify blind spots is to have someone else read your work—an editor, a friend, a fellow writer—someone who has not read it before. Ask them to see if it all makes sense, flows, and is totally clear. Have them ask you to explain things they don’t understand.
How to Fix It
Once you identify your blind spots, it isn’t that hard to fix them. Whatever you explained verbally to your reader or editor needs to be inserted into the book. This is the point in my meeting with a writer where I say, “Copy, paste!” They can go into the transcript of our call, copy what they told me, and insert it into the book. Having someone ask them to explain something draws out what’s missing. Once they said it, they can write it.
At this point, many of my writers say to me, “I can’t believe I missed that.” I tell them it’s a good sign! It means they are fully immersed in their concept or story, living and breathing it and unable to separate themselves from it.
The missing piece is something you likely can easily explain, teach, show, or tell because it already lives in your head. It just didn’t make it onto the page because you are so deep into your book that you’re living the shorthand.
Sometimes, it means you have to add a chapter or a scene or do some rearranging or restructuring. Usually, it’s just that you have it in your head, but you didn’t completely explain it to the reader, and it’s not a hard fix. Identifying it is the hard part. Fixing it is much easier.
Fun Stuff
Now that you’ve learned how to find blind spots in your writing, let’s talk about some lighter things!
In My World
Last week, we were on vacation in Iceland. “You went to Iceland in the WINTER?” everyone asks. Yes, and it was amazing. The weather was actually no big deal, and we got to hike a glacier and go in an ice cave (mostly unavailable in other seasons) not to mention go to cool museums, do some shopping, see northern lights, eat amazing food, see a million waterfalls, go to a lava show, go to the diamond beach, see icebergs in a lagoon, and so much more. 10/10. It also was research for a book I’m working on!
Fave fact: the Icelandic word for computer translates as “number oracle.'“
Engrossed by…
On vacation, I read All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. I could not put it down. I found myself thinking about it during the day as we were out and about, looking forward to climbing into bed after dinner and reading for a couple of hours. It is a little slow to start, and there are a couple of plot points you might be able to drive a truck through, but you will be captivated by this and desperate to find out what happens.
I listened to the Scamanda podcast and when it came out as a Hulu series, I had to watch it. It’s a true story about a woman who collects thousands and thousands of dollars in donations because she says she has cancer, but it turns out she actually doesn’t. I’ve got a LOT of unanswered questions from both the podcast and the series, but it’s a definitely going to intrigue you.
Good Goods
I did a lot of research when packing for an Iceland winter trip and bought all the things - windproof/waterproof parka, gloves, boots, and pants, as well as wool long underwear and rechargeable hand warmers. The best thing, though, was my YakTrax. Also called ice cleats or crampons, these stretchy things fit onto the bottom of your shoes or boots and give you amazing traction when walking on ice. There’s a lot of ice in Iceland, but there’s also a lot of ice at home in the winter. Before we left, I test-drove them, walking the dogs on the bike paths in our town. They allowed me to safely and securely walk even on the slipperiest of conditions. If you live anywhere that gets snow and ice, you need these for winter.