If you’re struggling to communicate a complicated idea, it doesn’t mean you won’t get there. It might happen much sooner than you think, in fact. That’s because the writing process isn’t linear. It can sometimes take you years thinking about an idea before it emerges into something.
On this note. We watched a lovely film on Friday night about a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Directed by Wim Wenders, the film is about the existential life of the main character. It’s an ode to slowing down and doing things with intention. There are a lot of nice dream sequences with trees. If you want to take a few deep breaths and feel good about life I’d recommend it.
When I heard about the way Wenders made the film it became all the more charming. Japan asked him to make a film about Tokyo’s incredible public toilets. Designed by world-famous architects for the recent Olympics, they remain in place. Wenders said he didn’t want to make a short film about the toilets. But he did then have an idea for the feature about a toilet cleaner. And he wrote it fast. He shot it in three weeks. It won an Oscar nomination.
There are lessons in this. When you work with a professional writer like me, you might have an idea in your head. But I may see possibilities in your idea that you hadn’t thought of. I can help you see how those possibilities could translate your idea to a broader audience, and we both win.
Those conversations, though, need some room to develop. They start with a spirit of mutual appreciation and curiosity. They usually develop best over a bowl of soup and a sandwich. Then we trust each other to think a bit about what the thing is, and what it could become, and then we move it forward.
That’s my insight for this week. It’s shorter than usual but I hope it helps you visualize your own writing process better.
—Matt Davis is a communications consultant and writer for a wide variety of clients. He also teaches yoga and lives with his wife and son in New York.
