I just finished William Zinsser’s excellent book, ‘On Writing Well,’ and I love how he used the example of Joe DiMaggio, one of baseball’s all time greats, to define what makes a careful writer.
No one looked more relaxed than Joe. He “covered vast distances in the outfield, always arriving ahead of the ball, making the hardest catch look routine, and even when he was at bat, hitting the ball with tremendous power, he didn’t appear to be exerting himself.”
When a reporter asked about his outstanding form and consistency, he said: “I always thought that there was at least one person in the stands who had never seen me play, and I didn’t want to let him down.”
This idea extends beyond baseball and writing. Whatever your craft, imagine your work in the hands of at least one person who hasn’t seen it before. Who knows where it’ll take you.