Art and Culture # 84
To Write Less or More, and the Benefits of Editing
-For the Uncensored!
“Writing, of course, is writing, acting comes from the theater, and cinematography comes from photography. Editing is unique to film. You can see something from different points of view almost simultaneously, and it creates a new experience.” Stanley Kubrick[1]
As a topic that needs to be discussed, the veritable amount of topics on this are and can be subjective. No writer ever pretends in their own right what constitutes a day of labor. Writing itself can be laborious if you see it as a job and not as a release. What the enemy of doubt brings is the way writers and creators usually feel the weight of everyday jobs keeping them from pursuing their dream.
To write more or less doesn’t actually mean you are doing a bad thing or not. To write less or more adds depth or it can create confusion. Some people, if they write too much, they can get too lost in the wordplay or even trying to fill up a page with repetitious wordplay pretending they are Anthony Burgess. It’s an obvious “no shit” moment when sometimes, less words do achieve more, and some extra padding is needed. If the words are meaningful and they can tell a grand tapestry, then a story can be longer. If it’s just repetitious words and you’re experiencing an illness, then you have to delete it.
It’s easy to put a lot of words down, and while I have done my fair share of experimental fiction writing, I did at least try to see what worked and what didn’t. I always tried to balance what could work in a story and what was less. That meant cutting out swaths of material that were sometimes easier to spot. As I have written everything I have wanted to do, taking a break is the best possible notion, and editing what I have. And that’s over 100 pieces of fiction that will keep me busy for a long time.
But that doesn’t mean you’re not going to have days when you are rested enough to edit. Take a rest. Take a second to be your best critic, but sometimes having someone you trust say, “this is not working,” and “I don’t think this can work” is not a sign of bad criticism. They are trying to help. They are trying to help you be successful.
But if people can’t take criticism, and rationally debate a conversation without cursing, or at least challenging their ideas, then they aren’t much of an artist. To criticize someone and help them see where an idea can’t work, is beneficial to both parties. And I have received my fair share of editing advice, which hurt me, too.
To act like a preening selfish artist to say, “anyone can make art,” which is true, but then offer no advice as to what can be done, you are offering artistic theory, not the idea of practice or the goal of achieving that dream in motion. It’s why people hate “artists” anyway because they don’t offer the best advice on what to do.
But editing itself requires some discipline, and the test of being an editor requires the ability to smell your own bullshit and cut it out. It’s easy to say, but if you have the work done, all you need to do is edit it, and put it out there. Buy promotional ad space, and put your own money where your mouth is. A good ad campaign is “slow and steady,” and not about a rush of views online. We’re not in a world where ad space can help the regular artist anymore so you have to buy ad space, and truly, it’s always best to make ads you are proud of. Also you can’t be cancelled as a writer if you run your own web page, and you can write whatever you want. It might mean a lien on your house, and it will be worth it, if you work hard to achieve a successful artistic life. And editing is what preoccupies my time, now. I respect anyone who wants a hobby. I know that it’s tough to compete, but if you know you should be living your dream, you got to put your best effort to achieve the dream, too. And having less might be more, and more might be less, as the old cliché goes. Editing will always lead you to become productive in other aspects of your creativity, too.
(Stanley Kubrick take on editing: audio interview)
[1] https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/stanley_kubrick_777498?src=t_editing. Found 06.15.22.
-Louis Bruno is the author of more than 19 books, including, The Michael Project, The Michael Project: Book 2: The Lost Children of Eve, Thy Kingdom Come, The Disintegrating Bloodline Part 2: Chaos, The Data Chase, The Disintegrating Bloodline part 3: Solvè, The Disintegrating Bloodline (and the original text re-released in 2019), Apocalypse Soldier, The Data Chase, Selection: The First Book of the Life and Death Saga, and Blinking Eyes: The Second Book of the Life and Death Saga, Hierarchy of Dwindling Sheep, The City of Sand, The God of Curiosity, To the Moon and Back, The Villain Lives and The Villain Lives: The Divided Pinpoint, Come Home, Young One. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from University of Phoenix. His books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Lulu. He can be found on Gab, https://gab.com/thereallouistbruno, Minds https://www.minds.com/lbruno8063/. Instagram @lbrruno8063 and @louisbrunoofficialbook. Our Freedom Book https://www.ourfreedombook.com/thereallouistbruno17. Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouisBr88881650. He has written for the Intellectual Conservative and Ephemere. His newest book, The Voices Are Alive is out now: https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/louis-bruno/the-voices-are-alive/hardcover/product-mvggdg.html?page=1&pageSize=4. Also, if you can’t subscribe so that you can get members only content, please be sure to share the articles, as well. If you do Subscribe and pay, as well so you can get my articles in your inbox every time, and access to the paid articles that some readers won’t get to see or access after the articles and books go private. If that doesn’t tickle your pickle, I am also selling merch from t spring, if you want to help support me in other ways. I sell hoodies, shirts, phone cases, and trying to find something there loved ones would like. Link is here: https://thereallouistbruno.creator-spring.com/listing/too-many-strings-not-enough. https://thereallouistbruno.creator-spring.com/listing/duck-fuckery. https://thereallouistbruno.creator-spring.com/listing/headless-corpo. Every little bit helps in the war against Big Tech. Thanks for reading.