Soft Attention, a Tool for Rewriting
- Déborah Braun
- Mar 14
- 2 min read
When writing, the first draft is often a moment of freedom where we let go, ideas flow, and the story takes shape. We may go in all directions, take detours, listen to the story and its characters, and allow ourselves to be carried along.
But then comes the rewriting process, which is the moment when we are no longer writing just for ourselves but for others. And with it, the necessity of rereading.
But how can we be both reader and writer? How can we be both inside and outside at the same time?
Thanks to soft attention!
I applied this method during my years in film editing. When watching an edit, I had to forget what I had created. I had to let go, to shift from the role of creator to that of spectator. To do this, I would sometimes change seats, moving to another corner of the room to adopt a new perspective. Or I would watch with a more relaxed yet still curious eye. It allowed obviousness to emerge, clear and undeniable, it allowed me to see the details that had escaped me when I had been too focused, too cerebral.
It is what I call "soft attention."
Soft attention is a kind of instinctive vigilance. One remains alert without being tense. One observe, feel, without forcing it. It is a subtle balance, like a predator that never fully sleeps, always ready to pounce at the slightest movement.
The same principle applies when rewriting a screenplay or a novel.
Like a tango, it is a movement that is both controlled and instinctive, a dance between rigour and fluidity. This is what allows something truly alive to emerge, both structured and unpredictable. Organic.
And when it is complete, we no longer even know how we got there. We are swept away. The work has found its own rhythm, its own life.
