Pride in a Bad Design
Ten years ago, my former boss designed the Battery Charger Contactor Unit (BCCU). And boy-howdy was he proud of it. Did I mention how small it was? Because he mentioned that fact to everybody until their ears went bloody.
And one day, the magic happened. The BCCU went proudly into production. Spoiler alert! There were endless problems. My boss cut so many corners to reduce the size that the technicians had difficulties assembling and testing it. However, he was the boss and convinced everybody that the design was exemplary. Side note: The BCCU could have been twice the size, and nobody would have cared. Size reduction somehow became a personal challenge.
Yet, my boss persevered. “You are not using it correctly.” “Look how small it is!” “The assemblers did not follow my instructions.” Eventually, he had no choice and needed to “make minor tweaks to pacify the naysayers.” Thus, the BCCU quietly underwent three major revisions. Unfortunately, it never worked right, and production/customers hated it. Further testing revealed additional flaws that were never addressed.
I coined the term for this kind of behavior, “Pride in a Bad Design.” This means that engineers cannot get out of their own way to see the design flaws. Since those early days, I have encountered this flaw several times.
What does this term have to do with writing? It’s all the same. Authors get wrapped up in their books and cannot see colossal mistakes. “Pride in a bad plot.” “Pride in an awful character.” The list goes on.
Have I ever been guilty of this behavior? Readers told me that my romantic interaction was wrong in my second book, but I refused to face the issue and published it. That was a big mistake, and I have not completely fixed the problem. Side note. I got a proof copy today, and hopefully, in two weeks, I will be over this mess.
I see evidence of “pride in a poor book” when writers react to spot-on negative comments. “You did not understand the character.” “Editors introduced the poor grammar. Not me.” “The plot makes sense when you look at it differently.” “There are many books with this same premise.”
What can authors do to break this cycle? It starts at the beginning by thinking about the big picture. Is this story something readers might like? Who is the audience? What are the potential plot pitfalls?
The problem with writing is that the result is “an open book.” Once somebody clicks “buy it now,” they get full access to the good, bad and ugly. Fortunately, my flaws have not been too bad. Or at least that is what I tell myself. Perhaps this explains why I only have four blog readers. Nah, that’s not it. My good looks are too intimidating.
And one day, the magic happened. The BCCU went proudly into production. Spoiler alert! There were endless problems. My boss cut so many corners to reduce the size that the technicians had difficulties assembling and testing it. However, he was the boss and convinced everybody that the design was exemplary. Side note: The BCCU could have been twice the size, and nobody would have cared. Size reduction somehow became a personal challenge.
Yet, my boss persevered. “You are not using it correctly.” “Look how small it is!” “The assemblers did not follow my instructions.” Eventually, he had no choice and needed to “make minor tweaks to pacify the naysayers.” Thus, the BCCU quietly underwent three major revisions. Unfortunately, it never worked right, and production/customers hated it. Further testing revealed additional flaws that were never addressed.
I coined the term for this kind of behavior, “Pride in a Bad Design.” This means that engineers cannot get out of their own way to see the design flaws. Since those early days, I have encountered this flaw several times.
What does this term have to do with writing? It’s all the same. Authors get wrapped up in their books and cannot see colossal mistakes. “Pride in a bad plot.” “Pride in an awful character.” The list goes on.
Have I ever been guilty of this behavior? Readers told me that my romantic interaction was wrong in my second book, but I refused to face the issue and published it. That was a big mistake, and I have not completely fixed the problem. Side note. I got a proof copy today, and hopefully, in two weeks, I will be over this mess.
I see evidence of “pride in a poor book” when writers react to spot-on negative comments. “You did not understand the character.” “Editors introduced the poor grammar. Not me.” “The plot makes sense when you look at it differently.” “There are many books with this same premise.”
What can authors do to break this cycle? It starts at the beginning by thinking about the big picture. Is this story something readers might like? Who is the audience? What are the potential plot pitfalls?
The problem with writing is that the result is “an open book.” Once somebody clicks “buy it now,” they get full access to the good, bad and ugly. Fortunately, my flaws have not been too bad. Or at least that is what I tell myself. Perhaps this explains why I only have four blog readers. Nah, that’s not it. My good looks are too intimidating.
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