Follow the Brief

To fit the brief, or not to fit the brief, that is the ballyhoo. And what a ballyhoo it has been. And there's nothing like kicking the proverbial dead horse yet again. (Why is that even a saying?) But here we go, let's do this....

So, how did I feel about the Barn Challenge wordcount flap? Well, let's just say I felt rather like a sheep in a chute getting sheared and hating every minute of it. Yep, I was feeling a bit brutally fleeced. (Sorry, sheep shearers, I know as the professionals you are, your sheep are not brutalized, but rather just quickly fleeced -- and quite literally so). But, let's be getting on with this "fitting the brief business."

The brief in Vocal's SFS Challenges were retroactively reduced to "guidelines." However, "guidelines" are more appropriately for situations where only generalities are at play -- like with an everyday submission that is not done for prize money. Approximations on day-to-day submissions could and should wholeheartedly be embraced. But not on a competition. In fact, NEVER on a competition. In the instance of a situation where individuals of any craft are competing for a prize, whether it be money, gifts, or merely a winning title, the competition should stick rigidly to the brief. One, because it's a competition with "rules" which are absolutes - not "guidelines" which suggest they are fuzzy. Two, because there needs to be some means of equality in the competition with individual talent and style being the final keys to escalating a submitted piece to winning heights. The creativity portion is the one part where the writer strives to stand apart from all others. It's the part where a writer can pull out all stops and show their craftmanship of wordsmithing.

So, why is my stance so rigid about following the brief and most especially the wordcount? It isn't just about it being rules for a competition, or whining because someone got away with something no one else did. It's specifically because adhering to a brief teaches a writer discipline. Any writer that intends to do freelance work professionally and have their writing be a source of income, will have to become well versed in the art of fitting a brief.

For instance, if you were given an assignment that asked for a 2k word piece -- that's what they want. Not more. Perhaps, with luck, they might let you go a "tiny" bit short -- not hundreds of words short mind you - just a "few". But NEVER MORE. If your submission is short, the publication can, at their discretion if they choose to accept your piece, plug in a photo or a quote to fill the space allotted for your piece. But, if you're long, they can't just chop a hole somewhere to make it fit. And trust me, they won't let you train wreck their publication deadline by being undisciplined and wobbling over wordcount. It isn't wise to think you are such an exceptionally beloved writer for them, that they will make time to rework your story or to turn it back to you to do so. If you are writing for money, you need to learn the discipline to fit a brief. To fail to do so puts you at risk of never having your pieces picked up for publication. You will get passed over and another writer will get the paying gig, even if your work was better. They will get it because....THEY FIT THE BRIEF.

As you can see, I can really get wound up on this. It's true, by and large I'm a stickler for rules. I spent nearly thirty years working in the legal field so following laws was sort of a must. Plus, I assisted attorneys with their submissions of briefs to high courts. Those briefs could, and would, get denied for something as mundane as having the wrong color cover on it. That brief could have a multi-million/billion dollar verdict riding on it. So, yes, it has been ingrained into me at many levels that you must fit the brief. But as a wordsmith doing the writing myself, and having written for magazines and been paid to be published, and even commissioned for follow up pieces, I know the importance of fitting the brief as a writer.

People can fluff and puff all they want about why fuzzy wordcount numbers is ok here, and to push your Vocal submission through regardless of whether you're over the "guidelines" of wordcount. But, in the end, you're truly doing yourself a great disservice as a professional writer if you're going to get in the habit of ignoring details of a brief or being so in love with your words that you end up starving rather than parting with some of them.

If self publishing and writing totally for personal satisfaction is your sole and only goal, then fair play, roll on - you'll never need tell yourself no. And accordingly, following a brief will never be of consequence. But you'll also likely never learn the art of tight writing and will miss the opportunity to hone your craft by writing for specific audiences and within required limits. (Trying to park an SUV in a bike rack just crossed my mind. Disturbing visual but sort of relevant.)

So, learn to fit the brief if you want to make a living being a professional writer that earns money to pay the bills, versus remaining a hobbyist that is always paying to play and possibly throwing away your opportunities for credible consideration by ignoring the brief. Take the brief serious as a heart attack. It's the one time that it's not in your best interest to play the "ask for forgiveness instead of permission" card. Write it tight, and write it right. Follow.the.brief!

And I'm speaking to writers and Vocal alike....