Editor friend of mine had to fix something the other day that, technically canât be fixed. The best that can be accomplished is giving the impression that it has.
I found myself offering advice not specifically because I thought my friend didnât have the technical chops to tackle this one... but because Iâm well aware of what a trap this kind of thing can be: trying to fix what canât be fixed.
And the way you begin that process is by first acknowledging that I canât fix this. You have to be honest with yourself that what youâre really trying to do is fool peopleâs eyes into perceiving there is no problem.
This is important.
Itâs important because editors will pursue a straight up fix for hours to no avail. They will become lost in a process thatâs very much like Captain Ahab in Moby Dick... but without the whale.
I told my friend that they had to be clear about the objective: fooling viewersâ perceptions. They also had to have some idea at which that goal had been met, the point at which theyâd achieved what was possible to achieve.
Itâs an approach that not only prevents us from wasting precious time on what canât be done... but also helps us retain control.
Because I wasnât joking about the "Moby Dick... but without the whaleâ metaphor. Itâs easier than youâd think to slip from a process you control... into one in which your actions are being controlled. One which causes you to dig in your heels to no logical purpose.
In the end, Iâm not sure that my friend needed the advice. Theyâve got plenty of experience on board,Â
But.
It's always a good thing to remind myself that these traps exist.
If for no better reason than to reduce the likelihood that Iâll engage in stubborn pursuit of whales...
That arenât there.
