The process of editing your work (or someone else’s) is a critical and necessary part of creating a finished product. It’s also a task I dread and procrastinate on before I start, but one I absolutely love and have a hard time making myself take a break from once I begin. Why is this so? I don’t have a definitive answer, but a few possibilities come to mind. First, editing is almost like writing in reverse. Instead of a flow of creative words pouring onto the page, it’s a calibrated art of clipping, pruning and trimming. That feels a little painful in advance, but when I’m in the middle of it, it’s absolutely delightful. Another possibility is that it takes a much different mindset (for me) than the creative process of the rough draft – it’s almost as if a different driver needs to take charge of my brain, one that it ruthless, detail-oriented, unconcerned with hurting feelings.
Regardless of why, I’m deeply grateful for the Editor that needs to take charge at the right times to clean up, to polish, to pull back the curtain and reveal a finished work.
What I’m Pondering: “Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses — especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” —Leonardo Da Vinci
