Visual Editing- My Creative Process

How do I edit a manuscript which is more than 200 hundred pages long?

I pondered over this while scrolling through a monumental MS word document. It was not the length that seemed to be a problem, but my attention span tends to break off quite often. And to add to the adventure, I had an editing and publishing schedule to adhere to.

I decided to play with a problem a little more to make it more interesting. I have always believed that every piece of writing is meant not to be read, but to be visualized and deeply felt. So, I decided to wear my scriptwriter's hat and asked a simple question. What if we decide to turn this manuscript into a movie? Who will my actors be?

Gradually, every chapter became a film scene and the characters came alive. My fingers began to follow the rhythms of their changing destinies and the words were typed organically on my keyboard. As the story revolved around a South Indian boy who strived to save his wrecking marriage by fighting through his inner demons, I could totally imagine R. Madhavan playing his part.

Eventually, I was able to visually edit and conceptualize the manuscript. Time just flew by, with every addition and deletion.

The best kind of learning takes place when we think in a cross-disciplinary fashion. When I blended my insights from linguistics and theatre, I was able to carve my own path which made the process not just effective but also enjoyable. 

After all, what's work without a little play?