On the acknowledgements page of the first draft of my first book I wrote that words could not describe my love for my wife. My editor slashed that with a thick red marker and told me, “Yes they can. You just don’t know how to use them properly.”

She was right of course.

Yeats, Dickinson, Shakespeare, Frost. They had used words to describe a love that deep.

So in my next draft I tried to tell what I thought was the truth. I wrote that I didn’t know the words to describe my love for my wife. Again. Red marker. She said, “You’re an author. Do better.”

So here’s what I wrote.

Above all, to my wife Beatrice, thank you for your laughter and your spirit. Your unwavering support has lifted me up and inspired me through every draft of this book and everything I do in life.

No red marker.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all. Good luck finding the words you need today.

BONUS: I think there’s a really important lesson here. Twice I thought I delivered my best work to my editor. Twice I thought that work was good. Twice my editor told me to do better. Who can push you further? Who delivers honest feedback to you? Cherish that person. Thank them for the feedback they provide. And push yourself to do better.