Dialogue with the Writer and Editor in Me 🤼

Let’s get ready to rumbleeee!!!

Photo by Xuan Nguyen on Unsplash

Writer (W): I have this idea about a story of a grand daughter and her grandpa but I still need some details to make it interesting, yet I think I could write a general idea of what it could be and keep it for later.

Editor (E): Sure, tell me all the details.

W: Oh, no. I wasn’t even talking to you. I’ll tell you when I have all the pieces of the puzzle.

E: Don’t you want to start right from the beginning?

W: No.

E: Just keep in mind that the characters are two generations apart so the vocabulary has to be understood by both readers. Or is it a niche book?

W: I’m not sure, I was thinking more like a novel that shows this kind of relationship.

E: Have you researched this genre?

W: No! Leave me alone.

E: I’m just trying to help. We’ve been here before.

Two weeks later.

W: I have a good start, it will be something like:

It was grandma’s funeral. Whilst the family was gathered, remembering her, Ahley, a 7 year old girl, was reading a book away from the rest. Her grandfather sat beside her…

E: The name is misspelled!

W: Shh…

He asked her about the book she was reading…

E: Redundancies!

W: Yeah, that’s for later…

It was the The Big friendly giant, and Mr. Claudio understood why she was apart, he also liked that book. Instead of being another person to ask her to join the rest, he decided to share what he knew about the BFG…

E: (whispers) Details…

W: (ignores it).

Sundays were a tradition in the family, everyone went to mass in the temple nearby the grandparent’s house, now only grandpa’s house, and when it ended they would have lunch. This Sunday was different. A very important seat at the table was empty.

The daughters started to take over the control of the house, re accommodating, taking all of their mom’s clothes and fulling spaces with Mr. Claudio’s stuffs.

E: belongings sounds better.

W: I’m not finished, but ok.

…Mr. Claudio’s belongings. While they were doing that, Ashley asked her grandpa

— Do you really want everything to be put aside?

E: Try better. Re read that.

W:(sighs).

…Mr. Claudio’s belongings.

— Do you really want everything to be put aside? — Ashley asked her grandpa while watching that no one was asking him his opinion.

— No, not everything. But it’s ok that they get rid of the things that makes me miss her the most. — and changed the subject. — Have you finished your book? — asked while pointing the book that was lying in Ashley’s legs, like she didn’t want to let go.

— I’m 15 pages left but my mom asked me to clean the table.

— I’ll help you. We’ll finish faster.

— How come my cousins don’t have to help? — she asked.

— Because they want to play.

— I want to finish my book.

— How about we finish your book when we serve dessert?

E: You’re on a good strike… I’ll catch you later.

Few months after writing a good number of pages.

W: Ok, now I can correct a few things before I go further in the story.

E: Why? Just continue.

W: Yeah, but I might delete a few scenes.

E: You don’t know that yet. Or do you want to delete something already?

W: I’m a little lost and I want to get back on track.

E: Write more.

W:

Ashley and her grandpa continued the book exchange for years until she received a camera on her 10th birthday…

E: You see? I didn’t know how old Ashley was. Give more details, this is your biggest mistake every time. Go on. I’ll jump in when it’s necessary.

W:

…and she dedicated herself to family portraits the best she could with that new digital camera that wasn’t the best one in the market, the quality was poor but Ashley had a vision of how to get the best out of it. Her parents had to tell her to stop printing every single photograph because the ink wasn’t cheap but then, the computer ran out of space for important documents because it had too many pictures.

On Fridays, Mr. Claudio used to pick up Ashley at school and they went to Whataburguer after, but Ashley’s mom never knew that.

I need help.

E: Yes.

Ashley and her grandpa continued the book exchange for years until she received a camera on her 10th birthday and she dedicated herself to family portraits the best she could with that new digital camera that wasn’t the best one in the market, the quality was poor but Ashley had a vision of how to get the best out of it. Her parents had to tell her to stop printing every single photograph because the ink wasn’t cheap but then, the computer ran out of space for important documents because it had too many pictures.

On Fridays, Mr. Claudio used to pick up Ashley at school and they went to Whataburguer after, but Ashley’s mom never knew that.

For years Ashley and her grandfather exchange books but at Ashley’s 10th birthday her parents gave her a new digital camera and she lost herself into family portraits. She was good, even when the camera wasn’t. Due to her consistency, her parents had to stop her from printing each picture and then asking her to not overload the communal computer with unnecessary photos.

On Friday’s Mr. claudio and Ashley used to sneak to Whataburguer after school, but Ashley’s mom heard a different version.

I can see you are still developing the story. I don’t know how helpful I might be. You’re on your own until you finish a first draft.

W: Really? First you annoy me and now you leave?

E: My job is to pop up.

Editing. That glorious feeling. I always describe editing as the pleasure when correcting another, only you are not bothering anyone, so it’s ego nurturing itself by proving you know a lot.

It has its ups and downs, sometimes the editor in you comes to save a paragraph and gives a better sense to the writing, and sometimes it sucks to admit it’s right when removing something incredible that’s not relevant.

Whatever the reason is to love it or feel uncomfortable with it, the editor in ourselves is the proof that we have been working on this talent, and the more annoying that voice gets the more obvious it is you are becoming a better writer.

When I write with a purpose, the editor in me is my validation that I’m good at this, even in times of doubt.

In an interview from The Hollywood Reporter, cinema directors were questioned about their favorite process of making a movie and most of them agree with editing. Todd Phillips quotes:

“Making a movie is the price we pay to get to the editing room.”

It’s on minute 27:20 when they all give their opinions about getting to the editing room, the sensation it brings, which to continue with Todd Phillips response is: “directors are control freaks.”
I am a fashion designer; I call editing verification and I see no difference from one craft to another, is:
step 1. Create
step 2. Check and correct
I believe, as artists, we are born with a wonderful pure heart and that voice in our heads is the closest we have to a rational mind because to live with only the heart as a leader hurts so much.

I don’t mean to say the editor in you it’s magic, it’s not. It needs to be nurtured, it’s there but it knows as much as you do. How to feed it?:
Read.
Write.
Read.
Write.
Listen to other people’s opinions.
Reread.
Rewrite.
…over and over again.
And like most gifts, we must find a way to benefit ourselves or to find peace within. I am excited to share my ideas with ‘the voice’.

Whatever the case is, these are opportunities to explore the story from different points of view. I know I like to have that editor in me, although sometimes it gets in the way when I’m writing a text to my mom, it makes me confident.