Editing Your Writing
My favorite movie of all time, Star Wars, won an Oscar for ‘Film Editing’ back in the day. As a kid I thought that was the silliest award ever presented. It essentially felt like the Academy of Motion Pictures was saying ‘Good job. You did the best at cutting junk out of your movie’. My thought was ‘why didn’t they just not film that part to begin with?’ The reason is, it was only when they saw the whole movie assembled did they realize that parts that had been filmed wouldn’t help them tell their story.
The process is similar with writing. The ultimate point should be, which parts will help me best tell my story. Here’s a bit more on that thought:
When I edit a document — either my own or another writer’s work — it’s not about whether the text is wrong or “not good.”
I make a change because I see an opportunity to create a more accurate representation of the original idea or concept.
Through this mindset, I hope to remove the stigma of mistakes being “bad.” Mistakes are no big deal, because with the right outlook we have a chance to revise them.
If no one is noticing your content, it may simply be because no one understands your ideas. This is your opportunity to fine-tune them.
You need to communicate clearly before you can form a bond with an audience.
(via Copyblogger)
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