November’s writing burn-out has faded and I’ve waded back into the shallow end of the writing pool. My first short story out of the ten I plan to write for the new book has turned into a full blown novella. That’s okay, though, because it gives me more room to explore and it gives me more words to cull later.
I’m getting much better at culling. Oddly I’ve learned it via editing an entirely different format: audio. I record and edit two podcasts now, one about the joy of absinthe and the other about zombies and wonderfully bad sci-fi. I think I’ve developed a pretty good ear, cutting what isn’t necessary, probably because of the rules of writing: make every word count. But what’s made me a better audio editor is crossing back over and making me an even better story editor.
I think the ah-hah I’m trying to promote here is one of cross-development. I know in the corporate world, it’s a good thing to get your feet wet in different parts of the business so that you can bring your experience and POV to a different set of circumstances.
Same thing seems to also work in creative endeavors.
If you’re a writer, have you ever tried your hand at editing audio or video? I know my friend Melanie does … I need to ask her about that.
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It’s an interesting observation, and one that rings true to me on a number of levels. First of all, I grew up playing music (http://bit.ly/v391xW) but always wanted to be a writer (http://trnunes.com). Perhaps decades of playing helped me be a better listener, which then helped my writing/editing(?). Also, when I started composing music with lyrics (http://bit.ly/rcZyFb), my writing experience obviously lent a hand. Finally, I’ve always been a generalist, “A jack of all trades, master of none”, whether in college (“Liberal Studies”) or professionally (“parts clerk”, “IT support”…), so I’ve also pretty much always had an appreciation for the value of “knowing just enough to be dangerous.”
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