What could be better than a new client suggesting I go for a sail? That’s just what happened a few months ago, when Diane Byrne at Megayacht News asked me to write about the brand-new sailing vessel Ouzel. I’d been following the design and build since 2021 as part of the newsletter team for Langan Design Partners, so when we headed out of Rockport Harbor the unique yacht already felt familiar.
One ongoing theme of the project was collaboration, so I was unsurprised to hear from the builder (Rockport Marine) that working with Langan had been both ego-free-easy and fun. (I agree!) I headed back to Rhode Island excited to share my fresh perspective. But—after glancing at other posts on the Megayacht News site—I concluded that the best fit would be a dry walkthrough.
Lesson #1: Always reread the original brief before starting to write
I dutifully prepared a walkthrough and submitted it about 10 days before the deadline… which immediately sparked the following reply: “While the format and word count are fine, the angle isn’t quite right.” When Diane quoted from her original brief, I kicked myself for being too distracted—what can I say, it was June—to read it through again before starting to write. My bad.
The good news: what she wanted was the story behind the build, the why. So my next attempt was MUCH more fun to write (and therefore, to read), because it captures the collaborative approach that made the project so special.
Lesson #2: What is written without joy will be read the same way
It wasn’t until after the second draft was accepted that I realized: Diane and I had just completed our own mini-collaboration—and like Ouzel, the end result was drastically improved by our ego-free-easy approach. I don’t get a lot of editorial feedback on my writing these days, so it was quite refreshing to hear a well-reasoned “no” to that first submission—and even more satisfying when the revision was accepted.
Lesson #3: There’s no substitute for a second perspective
A good editor sparks a new approach without micromanaging the end result—and that’s increasingly rare in today’s world of bot-targeted content creation. So here’s a big thanks to Diane at Megayacht News for first suggesting I go for a sail, and then helping me dig out the real story: The Unique DNA of the Sailing Yacht Ouzel.
PS: This was also a role reversal, since I used to edit Diane’s stories for YachtWorld. I can only hope she found my editorial input as helpful as I found hers!
Got an editor who helps you write better? Share your thoughts in the comments below; I read every single one, with gratitude. Thanks for being here, and see you next Thursday.