Be Like Miles

Who or what inspires you creatively? Maybe it’s a beautiful painting, poem, song or film.  Perhaps it’s connecting with nature on a hike in the woods. One of my inspirations is Miles Davis. He was the singular reason why I chose to play trumpet at age 10. I remember thinking “how cool is this guy. I want to play like that.” Miles Davis had a signature sound like no one else. While just as technically proficient as his peers, he didn’t try to impress the audience with how many notes he could play or how fast.  He created a mood. 

Listen to this live recording of the opening track “So What” from one of the best jazz albums of all time, “Kind of Blue.” It’s a simple opening melody that Miles takes to another level. While John Coltrane does what he does on saxophone, Miles coolly steps off stage, smokes half a cigarette, listens, and then returns for a second improvised solo.  Does jazz get any better than this?   

“So What” can we learn from this as communicators? For me, the great jazz artists and communicators are good listeners and observers first. They fully immerse themselves in the world around them, in their work, what others are saying or doing, and soak everything up like a sponge. Then they make their statement as a reinterpretation of what they just heard or learned. With Miles, it’s the empty spaces in between his playing that I find most interesting. As a writer, sometimes it’s what you don’t say that makes all the difference between a memorable article or speech and something that exhausts the reader. There is beauty in simplicity, minimalism and cutting out the clutter. 

So with that in mind, here are my Top 10 Rules for Writing which I hope inspire you.

1. Find your inspiration. Even though we’re writing about financial topics, we are still writing about people, and people are never boring if you truly pay attention to their unique qualities.
2. Find the emotional hook to tell a more compelling story.  Don’t just tell me what happened. Tell me what obstacle they overcame, what drove them to achieve their goal, and the moments of serendipity in their journey that make their story unique. If you can’t find the emotional hook, you’re not asking the right questions. Dig deeper. 
3. Write it all down and then cut out the boring or confusing parts!
4. Quotes should be inspirational, aspirational, and colorful. If the quote is boring, remove it. 
5. Look for metaphors. Sports usually work but are overdone. My favorites are nautical: “look beyond the horizon, we’re entering headwinds in heavy seas, rapid sea changes, etc.”  And of course George Costanza’s hilarious story of how he saved the whale to impress a woman who thought he was a marine biologist: “the sea was angry that day my friends. Like an old man trying to send back soup at a deli.”  
6. Read it out loud. Is it easy to say and pleasing to the ear?  If not, your sentences are too long. Tighten. 
7. Would your mother understand this? If not, simplify and clarify.
8. Make every word count. Don’t use 15 words when 10 will do. Respect your reader’s time and patience. Remember Miles Davis. Don’t try to impress the reader with all the fancy words you know.  Strive for clarity. 
9. Enjoy the writing process because it can be a very creative experience. We’re not writing airline pilot pre-flight check lists here. We’re writing stories that our audiences should want to read. 
10. Good writers are good readers.  Read all kinds of good writing…fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, essays, even classic literature, scripture, poetry, and philosophy.  

In closing, no matter what you are writing, reading or watching, channel whatever inspires you. Create your own interpretations, your own voice, and your own mood. 

Be like Miles.