How Video Editing Feeds My Writing Process

And why exploring different approaches might help to find a way back to writing.

Photo by Amjith S on Unsplash

For me, writing and editing have always felt strangely connected.

The hand is firm on the mouse. Eyes alert on the screen. Everything is quiet for a moment.

Then suddenly, you hit the keyboard in a frenzy.

Reach back for the mouse. CLICK.

A smirk of satisfaction as you glance back at the screen. Everything is running smoothly again.

Those movements have become instinctive for creative workers. Every craft requires dedication, passion, and a personal anchor to hang on to in moments of doubt. For me, as a writer, that anchor is video editing. I don’t see this art form as just about stitching two video clips together and repeating until completion. Rather, it is a tool that feeds my writing process daily, helping me harness my passion for writing in a way that feels engaging and personal.

I don’t really know where that passion for video editing came from. I’ve always been very visually driven in my thinking process — strong, impactful images instead of words. But it’s the art of assembling them together that helps me bring mental clarity.

The first element of a film I notice is always how the cutting affects the story. Not every style works on all movies. The frantic, choppy editing of the Bourne films works well for diving into the mind of a professional assassin struggling to piece his memory back together, but it becomes bothersome when depicting a middle-aged man jumping off a fence, no matter how many particular sets of skills he has.

On the other end, films like Birdman or 1917 manage to create the illusion of a continuous take throughout the entire runtime, leaving most audiences confused about why an editor might be credited at the end. No matter the approach, editing is usually considered the last version of a screenplay, making it an essential part of the writing process. And just like writing, it comes with a few tricks to streamline the work.

Organization Is Key

I approach writing the same way I approach video editing when organizing my thoughts. In both art forms, the bulk of the work happens long before I open the software. Since I tend to spiral all over the place quite easily, I found that organization is the key to a good workflow. It helps me figure out which idea to explore and which one might be off-topic.

In video editing, the worst mistake I made the first time I tried my hand at it was dumping all the footage into one bin and hoping to retrieve each shot manually in the editing software. It took me more than a week to work on it. I can’t imagine how exhausting it would be for a two-hour feature film, with hundreds of hours of footage to pick from. 

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to organize each scene in a specific bin, such as shot number and day of shooting. That way, retrieving takes can become a matter of a few clicks.

In writing, I use this technique early when I’m gathering ideas and thinking of an outline. The brainstorming phase, by throwing ideas on the page before starting the research, helps me figure out an angle and an early outline to organize my research. It not only helps me save time by avoiding endless scrolling on the internet, but also allows me to focus mentally on what matters for the story.

Pacing As You Write

Once the outline is done and the footage is laid out on the timeline, comes the time to write the piece down. Just like in writing, the first cut usually keeps scenes close to their full length. The first cut is more about finding the emotional truth of the sequence than polishing every transition. That being said, depending on how the footage was shot, it usually conveys how the pacing should unfold.

This is a trick I find myself using when writing fiction work. When a twist requires keeping the tension up and running.

Picture visuals. Images. Scenes.

One line = one shot = one idea.

Think fast.

Decisive.

Keeping the audience on the edge of their seat.

Leading the reader down the page.

One line after the other.

One cut after the other.

Like their life depends on it.

This creates tension through rhythm. The shorter the line, the more impactful the picture should be.

Longer sentences, on the other hand, help to create a calmer pace for the reader. It allows me to connect with the story’s protagonist in a moment of vulnerability or to explain a concept more clearly. Those moments help the reader pause, reflect, and share the inner world through subtext and relatable stories.

All those pacing techniques are at the essence of narrative storytelling. Whether it’s an essay, an action film, or a B2B article, I find that it comes down to sticking to the rhythm that feels most natural for the audience.

Edit, Edit, Edit

Once the story can stand on its own, the pacing feels right, and the time period is respected, it’s time to fine-tune the last details. In video editing, the focus is usually on transitions that connect different scenes and shots. It can be as swift as a fade or a wipe to create a smooth and slow pace, emphasizing a moment. But it can also be as harsh and sudden as a hard cut, throwing the audience off.

Think of the mother screaming in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, then a quick cut to Ian Malcolm yawning in a subway station. The scream and the hissing of the train connect the scenes together through sound, even though they don’t have anything in common. In writing, this moment would be conveyed by the mother screaming at the end of a chapter, leaving the reader in shock, only to find them following Malcolm’s introduction in the first line of the next chapter. Finding the right way to let the story unfold is just as important as the content.

On Finding the Right Writing Process

I’m not writing this as a tutorial or as something remotely academic.

Instead, I tried to make sense of how my mind visualizes and structures thoughts by finding a process that suits me. My writing is heavily influenced by the filmmaking process, and my film tastes come from the stories I read before. If writing and editing feel so closely related to me, perhaps it’s because they help me find clarity and structure where the traditional learning path felt void and distant.

Writing can be overwhelming. I think many people delegate writing to machines because they have never found an approach that made writing feel accessible to them. Maybe someone more sport-inclined could be inspired by an approach to writing through short, fast-processing exercises to stimulate their dopamine need. Someone more keen on music may need something more rhythm-based.

My point is that there are many ways to approach writing.

Whatever works for you, it will be the right one.

You just have to give it a try.