Dan Mall’s Post

I love editing. It’s one of my passions and it’s something I’m good at. Editing is an art similar to sculpture. Recall Michelangelo’s words: “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” This is the editing process ⚒ – taking chunks of text and chiselling them into refined, attractive, appealing prose. Smooth and sexy 😉 Yet, editing can be a thankless profession. Consider a job where you consistently tell extremely talented people what they’re doing wrong and how they can improve. Of course, good developmental editors include comments of both praise and areas of improvement; but it’s mostly the latter. It’s also difficult to show the world what we do because only a select few see our work. It’s the final content that’s published; never the process. And editing is all in the process. Thankless or not, it’s a very satisfying job because the final content can garner clicks, increase revenue, and even change lives. When I compare the analytics between badly written text and exquisitely edited content, the data speaks for itself. Here’s to all the hidden heroes behind the stories that we love; you’re doing an amazing job, and all the readers of the world appreciate what you do! 🥂👏 #contentediting #contenteditor #editing #contentmarketing #engagement #publishing #sculpture

THE NOTION OF passion has been interpreted, ad nauseam, by way of posters, quotes, memes, etc., and without so much as a by-your-leave before adding to the collective-yet-unacknowledged misery of said ubiquitous interpretations. But passion makes me think of a medical woodcut illustration of a heart. Because within the 21st century's digitally-polished mentality lies the need for some unsettling, 19th-century woodcut magic. A playfully macabre message preferred over a "better safe than sorry" attitude. People need to know who I am, beyond me merely telling them as much--they need to feel it, and see it for themselves. And that's me: an eccentric writer and peculiar typographer who infuses true heart into every project he works on. As I leave you to the rest of your day, allow me to quote Florence Zimmerman, a protagonist from the movie The House with a Clock in Its Walls: "What's wrong with weird? Weird's like the nuts in my cookies. It's the nuts that make things interesting!" .  .  . www.thecuriousmrblend.com | A Typographic Cavalcade of Thematic Oddities™ “The moral of Snow White is never eat apples.” ~ Lemony Snicket “Reading is one form of escape. Running for your life is another.” ~ Lemony Snicket “If you are allergic to a thing, it is best not to put that thing in your mouth, particularly if the thing is cats.” ~ Lemony Snicket #copywriting #typography #writing #passion #creativity #thecuriousmrblend

If we’re all in the same room and if we’re all talking about the same things, we’ll end up in groupthink isolation. Wonderfully reassuring – and stunting. We need new and different and diverse and surprising. That’s why it’s so important to cultivate a wide range of interests outside your profession. If you’re a designer, learn about copy. If you write for a living, study typography. Then go a bit deeper. Study how other freelancers in different crafts build their businesses. How do developers get clients? What conversations are they having? What can they teach you? What can video editors learn from how ghostwriters charge? Consider taking an intro course in a business or craft that complements yours. Looking over the garden hedge might be your next big breakthrough.

𝐈 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭. "𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝," 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. "𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠." Many people think that once they finish their story, they’re done. They believe that putting the last period on the page means their work is complete. But the truth is, writing the first draft is just the start. The real work begins with rewriting. Rewriting is where the magic happens. It's when you take your rough ideas and make them better. You :  ーFix your characters,  ーClear up your plot, and  ーImprove your dialogue. Rewriting helps you find and fix mistakes, turning a messy draft into a good story. Think of writing as sculpting. :The first draft is like a big block of stone. It’s only through careful chiseling that the statue inside comes out. In the same way, rewriting brings your true story to life. It’s a process of finding and making your story better. Don’t be afraid to tear up your draft. It’s not a failure but a step forward.

Friday Editing Tip (Multi-Contributor Genres): Font-astic A few weeks back, I was editing a manuscript that had multiple contributors. To keep track of different contributors’ additions and responses, each author used a different font or different font size. While this was extremely helpful to the authors, who could see the changes others suggested and evaluate them, by the time the manuscript got to me, my job was to make sure the document had one “voice.” The visual demarcation of font difference meant it was hard for me to determine if the content actually flowed or sounded dissonant because it just “looked” dissonant. It was worth the effort of saving an extra copy of the file with the font standardized. That meant the continual commentary about font in my brain (“are these sentences in 10-pt font when the rest of the paragraph is in 12-pt? Why? WHY?”) could be quieted and I could focus on syntax and style.

Historical Collage Motion Design for the book I'm reading right now "تاريخ فلسطين القديم" Showing glimpses from the first chapter of the book. My focus was on creating a unique aesthetic that blends vintage imagery with dynamic motion, making it ideal for educational content creators looking to add eye-catching visuals. I specialize in motion design solutions that bring educational content to life. Whether you're working on a historical explainer, online course, or documentary project, let's collaborate to make your information engaging! Did this project spark any ideas for your own content? Let's discuss it in the comments below! #historicalcollage #explaineranimation #motiongraphics #educationalcontent #contentcreators #historyanimation #videomarketing

It may be April 1, but we're never foolin' around with our monthly blog! Check out Michael's latest installment below.

I choose writing over images in documenting my journey of self-discovery. If a picture is worth a thousand words, I’d rather be the one to provide those words. https://lnkd.in/gHE6jZGE

Editing is not merely a method; it is an art form. It is the editor's task to tell a story, create emotion, and evoke meaning through the arrangement of images and sound. #graphic #today #Graphicdesigner #thoughtoftheday

Happy Friday! Today we would like to draw your attention to something (only slightly) different. We don’t want to talk about the design of the bar or how we rendered it. Today we thought we wanted to remind you that a big part of design is actually story telling. So we tell these stories through design mostly. But we can also do so with words. Occasionally we get told that we have a thing with words. Maybe it’s because we treat them like we treat all of our design work, as professional dreamers. It might be very old-fashioned and maybe a dying art in the age of AI, but we would like to offer our writing services in the same way we offer our design services. If you think we can be of use, please let us know! #christianleyk #coquinedesign #designstudio #professionaldreamer #creativemind #creativity #creativemischief #storyteller #yachtdesign #industrialdesign #writer #dreamer #text #eve #rendering