Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t

When you understand that nobody wants to read your stuff, you develop empathy. You acquire the skill that is indispensable to all artists and entrepreneurs—the ability of switching back and forth in your imagination from your own point of view as writer/painter/seller to the point of view of your reader/gallery-goer/customer. You learn to ask yourself with every sentence and every phrase: Is this interesting? Is it fun or challenging or inventive? Am I giving the reader enough? Is she bored? Is she following where I want to lead her?