"For the Clearest View..."

I keep a bunch of papers handy on my desk. Bits of inspiration - personal and business-related. One of the largest is a Xerox of an article from The New York Times, dated Thursday April 3, 2003.

It's not the kind of thing I would have sought out in the paper - the article is about gardening, a subject that interests me only when I'm signing for floral deliveries. (Otherwise, just thinking about it makes me sneeze.) But the headline stopped me in my tracks. It summed up everything I've learned about why clients need to hire writing consultants like me, how we help them: "For the Clearest View, Use Someone Else's Eye."

Here's how writer Ken Druse kicked off the article: "When things become too familiar, they have a way of disappearing, like a picture hanging crooked on the wall or car keys hiding in plain sight. Someone with a new perspective often sees what is invisible to me."

I'm sure Ken offers great gardening advice; for me, his business advice is right on target.