Somehow, I've managed to put a lot of what I know to some professional use, whether it's my ability to write, edit, speak, teach, take good photos, or, most unexpected of all, my love for gemstones.
I suppose honing skills that can be used in multiple domains is never a waste, even if you don't consciously think that you are developing those skills.
And perhaps that's the secret - to unconsciously improve them, not necessarily as part of your professional life.
To Summarise and Simplify a Message into an Elegant Message Requires Great Skill and Finesse
Summarising is tough. Extracting the main points and leaving everything else, all without the changing the message? That's hard work.
The alternative? Walls of impenetrable text, endless ramblings, confusing information, all seemingly intent on making you space out.
What's even tougher, though, is simplifying.
Not only do you have to emphasise the main points, you have to make them easier to grasp. Often, you have to use a different vocabulary and sentence structure to do this.
Which means that, not only do you need to be good at summary, you have to own a certain finesse and elegance in the language, understand the audience, and be ruthless in your quest for clarity.
These aren't skills you can pick up in a couple of days, hence the rarity of good editors and communicators.
So, the next time you see or hear a well-crafted, polished, easy-to-grasp message, thank these precious individuals.
Even if you only do so in your heart.
Book Update: Manuscript Submission
I have just submitted my manuscript for editing and layout! The word count is far higher than the originally expected amount - about three times as high, actually.
What that means is that there will be extra cost for layout, editing, and printing. Nevertheless, it doesn't make sense to scale the size of the book down. The additional cost will be paid, and I will be moving on to the marketing segment of the book, as well as planning the book launch, and getting people on board to help with that.
If all goes well, it may even be printed before Christmas! Here's hoping!