I say elsewhere (in this blog post) that the core constituency for A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting is individuals. Here’s how I’ve been reminded of that recently. (Indulge me!)
In a LinkedIn comment a couple of weeks ago that I’ve since lost in the flood, someone referred to how they prompt their favorite chatbot with “You’re Ken Adams, the world’s greatest drafter … .” That has the merit of being funny, but I also got the sense they meant it! If it was entirely a joke, that’s OK too.
Then there are reactions to MSCD. In an email I received yesterday, someone referred to it as “your amazing book.” In a LinkedIn message a couple of weeks ago, someone said, “I finally bought A Manual of Style a couple of weeks ago. Such a delight!” I’ll take that! It makes MSCD sound like a ballet picture book, or a delectable pastry.
But my most memorable exchange in a while occurred a few days ago, when I received an unexpected call. My phone showed the person’s name, rather than just a phone number or a generic description, so I answered. It turned out it was someone who had attended one of my presentations 14 years ago. They were at a crossroads in their career, and they had the urge to speak with me, because attending that presentation had been a pivotal event for them.
So we had a chat. (Empath that I am, I of course immediately started talking about stuff I’m dealing with!) They subsequently sent me the following screenshot, showing their exchange of texts with the person who had accompanied them to my presentation:
I feel privileged there are people out there who see value in what I do and feel it worth their while to tell me about it.
