PhotoCredit: SatDownBedsideHer
Last week my newsletter had a weird formatting issue. I saw it the minute I sent it out, but I didn't catch it when I was proofing my writing. 'Weird formatting issue' is not on my list of things to check before I hit send. Much like 'spider hidden in floral display' was not on the florist's checklist for the Queen's funeral yesterday.
Both issues will obviously not happen again. I will now check for random changes to formatting, and I suspect there will be the addition of a heavy dose of fly-spray to future televised funeral processions.
Both issues are also minor details. Details that are hard to catch and easy to over-engineer for. They are non-critical issues that would drive you mad trying to anticipate. And to re-enforce my point from last week, obsessing over these details would definitely delay shipping your work.
Recovery is the better focus. From a formatting issue perspective, I turned the issue into a blog. Sure, I was frustrated in the moment, but I had no way of fixing it once sent, so I just had to suck it up. I would advise the royal PR team to name the spider and create a social media persona for it.
Mistakes are inherent in any creative endeavor. Let them inform the process and be the source of inspiration not perspiration. In other words, don't sweat the small stuff. Next time you think you have f-d something up, ask yourself how you can have fun with it. How can your bug*...become a feature?
*Spiders are not bugs. But the joke is still funny...