One of my favorite genres of Internet humor is one-star reviews of recipes left by people who should not be cooking.

Here are some of my faves (mostly from this Bored Panda roundup).

1 Star ⭐:

DISGUSTING! I ran out of orange juice so I used orange soda instead.

1 Star ⭐:

Not making these again, I was on the phone talking to my sister and burnt up the whole batch. But the first time I made them they were amazing.

1 Star ⭐:

Very good icing I just didn't realise that I couldn't substitute the heavy cream for mayonnaise and I was just devastated when I tried it. Maybe mention that next time but other than that it was delicious.

1 Star ⭐:

haven't tried

Look.

If you haven't followed the instructions, you can't complain about the results you got...right?

And yet so many people do.

Recipe writers and coaches both are involved in the same delicate dance.

On the one hand, you don't want to be pushy. You don't want to assume that your way is right and demand that other people do what you tell them.

On the other hand, they literally picked up your book, bought your course, or signed up for your program so that you could tell them what to do.

So why is your audience still not listening to your instructions?

Why are they rating things they haven't tried, blaming the recipe for their lack of attention, or putting mayonnaise in their icing 🤢 😱

Honestly, some people can't be fixed.

But, also, we can do better when crafting instructions. That's what I'll be talking about next Tuesday with my friend MJ Halberstadt.

MJ's running a series of classes called Self-help Self-help—specifically to help authors of self-help nonfiction get better at their craft.

In this particular class, we'll be talking about how to craft resonant, actionable instructions in the form of a self-help book (or Substack or workbook or instructional guide or…).

I'll be talking about how I did that with my own self-help book, From Chaos to Creativity, as well as how I've worked with clients to craft exercises, instructions, and other "Take Action" sections for their own books.

MJ's got an arsenal of questions up his sleeve, but there will be an opportunity for you all to ask questions, too—so register for free here and let's talk about how to help your audience actually take action.

Oh—and for the love of all that is holy... DO NOT PUT MAYO IN YOUR ICING. I shouldn't have to tell you this. 😭

See you there!

Jessie

PS: In the spirit of transparency, I'll admit I'm not immune to cooking disasters.

I've had more than my share of baking powder ≠ baking soda mixups—to the point that I now aggressively triple-check every recipe.

What's the worst "failure-to-follow-instructions" cooking disaster you've had? I promise your secret's safe with me.