Making Magic as a Story Editor

by Sara Nics

“Someone’s gotta stay on the shore.”

It can be tough to explain what a story editor does. Yes, you listen to things and give notes on scripts and talk through ideas, but there’s more to the job than a list of tasks and an assortment of story structures. Editors have different styles and different takes on what the job is. When the Transmitter team asked me to do a story editing skillshare, the thing I most wanted to communicate was my editing philosophy, and the easiest way to do that was with a parable.

Making magic.

Imagine, if you will, a spell-maker named Gem. They are a skilled, devoted spell-maker. It’s their calling to make spells that transport people, transform people, inspire people. You have a special job, you’re their spell editor. Together you’ve got to get a super spell cast before the full moon. 

Spells are made by finding powerful underwater stones and arranging them in a magical grid. You, the spell editor, know about stones and grids, but in this particular partnership Gem is the only one who can touch the stones. 

Gem knows how to find stones. They’ve cast spells before, but every time they need to gather new stones, the magical arrangement is a mystery, and the full moon is getting closer. 

So first you and Gem have to figure out what kind of spell to cast, which group of people need transport or transformation. That helps you and Gem figure out where they might find the right stones for the job.

Gem might have a good sense for where to look for the stones, what muddy pond bottom or sunny ocean floor. Or they might need to talk through which body of water to start with. You can ask them questions to clarify the kind of stones that they’re likely to find at the bottom of each body of water and how they’d fit into their spell. You help Gem figure out where they’re gonna dive, and what kind of stones they should look for.

Deep underwater, all sorts of things can happen. There can be weeds and branches and rotting leaves. Gem might have to really dig and struggle to find the stones they need. They might need to dive over and over again. Gem might come to the surface with no stones or only a few. Gem might find a whole world of stones that are very beautiful and full of magic, and surface with handfuls of them… too many. Gem might dive down and find no stones at all.

It’s not a spell editor’s job to do the diving with Gem. In fact, you can’t. When Gem surfaces they can be out of breath.They might get tangled up in the weeds and need help getting out of the water. Sometimes they get so disoriented that they forget which way is up and what spell they’re trying to cast. Someone has to stay calm and dry, in case Gem needs help in the dangerous and important work they’re doing. Someone has to be there to help them figure out if they’re diving in the wrong place altogether. 

You have to be the person, calm and ready on the shore, so that Gem knows they’re not alone in their bid to make magic.

Once Gem’s got all the stones up on the shore, they have to figure out how to arrange them into a spell that’s going to work. It might come together really quickly or it might take many tries. The spell editor’s job is to look at the shape of the spell that’s emerging, to look at it from different angles. Is it working? Could it work better? Are they using too many stones? Not enough? Are they making a broadway spell, when they really only need a bodega spell? Is the moon waxing full? Again, you can’t arrange the stones for Gem, but a good spell editor helps them see other options, make some hard calls, and get the spell cast in time… even if they’re breathless or dizzy or covered in weeds. 

Sometimes in this process–not so infrequently, really–distractions can come up. Sometimes the distractions are from the people who need the spell. Sometimes it’s Gem’s own head or heart or habits that makes it hard for them to dive deep or find the best arrangement of the stones. Sometimes it’s just the weather or the waxing moon. It’s also the spell editor’s job to help Gem manage or at least identify those distractions.

And through all of it, the spell editor is also invested in the outcome of this spell; you share the responsibility, but you can’t actually DO the casting of the spell. So you have to figure out how to help Gem without your own urgency or interest getting in the way. You need a kind of healthy attachment to the outcome, and the process of getting there.

And here’s the thing, the spell editor’s job is not just to make sure that Gem casts this particular spell, that they don’t get lost in the weeds or fail to transport the people before the full moon turns… the spell editor’s job–whether Gem knows it or not–is to help them grow into a stronger spellcaster. 

Keeping It Real

What does all this mean in the real world? Well, editors have different styles, building on their strengths and interests. 

It helps, of course, to have lots of experience making things, working on different kinds of projects with different kinds of personalities. But beyond deep production skills of your own, there are some other skills that are central to editing, and a few dos/don’ts that grow out of them. 

DO LISTEN FOR WHAT THE PRODUCER IS TRYING TO MAKE Make sure that you understand what their aims are with the piece, so that you can assess whether it’s working from that perspective. Remember that the producer knows their material better than you do. Ask questions. 

DO FOCUS (aka don’t multitask) Often producers get a little lost along the way. Some versions are scattered or unwieldy or full of holes. You gotta toggle between the forest and the trees. This requires real focus. 

DON’T GET TANGLED UP IN CAPITAL-S STORY STRUCTURES There’s a lot of talk about Story Structures. And they can be useful to consider when you’re outlining or thinking about what’s not there, or trying to solve a problem. But too much time on formats and formulas can get in the way of discovering what shape a story wants to take.

DO MANAGE YOUR TIME Be clear with producers about how much time you’ll need for an edit, when they can expect notes from you, and meet those deadlines. If you give scattered notes, or notes that are better suited to a different stage in the production, you risk overwhelming the producer. 

DON’T PRODUCE  Someone needs to stay on the shore. This can be tricky when you’ve got a lot of years of producing behind you, but it’s essential. If you get into the water, you might both end up getting stuck in the weeds.

DO BE STRATEGIC Ill-timed notes can overwhelm or exhaust a producer, so give structure notes early in the game, save the line edits for later etc. Aim to tailor an editorial process to support the producer’s growth. So if there’s time, give notes that invite a producer to problem solve on their own, or consider working through an edit together. If the time is tight and you need to make some calls, flag what you’re trying to address with your edits.

DO GET GOOD WITH YOUR EGO  Editors and producers share responsibility for the final product, but since you can’t actually do the making, you have to find a way to take responsibility for–and also let go of–the final outcome. You also have to find a way to live with having it be your job to have an answer and also be okay with your answer being wrong--or at least incomplete.

DO KEEP AN EYE ON THE HORIZON I believe that story editors support producers’ creativity and professional development. That means paying close attention to patterns in how a producer works. Editors also support the whole production and the team that is making it. How you work with a producer on a given piece impacts both of those things.

DO USE YOUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Producing takes courage and leaps of faith and vulnerability and being at your growth edge. It also means dealing with all sorts of personalities and team dynamics. Pay attention to how a producer might be feeling–or how they tell you they're feeling–and offer support/encouragement in the hard parts of the process. 

DO OFFER A SAFE HARBOR The best editors are both helpers and safe harbors for producers. 

Gem’s got so many more spells they’re going to cast over the course of their lives, and we all need Gem to be out there casting great spells, and so a good editor helps Gem get better and better at finding magic stones and casting spells. You’re helping them learn and grow — and you’re helping them make magic.