Comments on: The (Hidden) Genius of Editing

By: Dave Swarthout

Dave Swarthout — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:45:29 +0000

Well, all I can say is that with this information I can start feeling better about the amount of time I spend editing and re-editing the stuff I write, from my own journal entries, to emails, and my blog. I’m in good company, very good company.

Thanks Dan.

By: Dennis Rapkins

Dennis Rapkins — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:21:03 +0000

“All proving why many writers hide their first drafts.”
Made me think of Cal Ripken’s admission of how he used to (deep) practice his baseball skills alone (in a confined space, I believe…possibly slowly, not sure of the latter). He did this alone because he wanted others to think that these skills came naturally to him. It’s nice that he has come to put aside his ego and let the rest of us know how he put in some of his 10,000 hours.

By: djcoyle

djcoyle — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:31:34 +0000

You are so right–thanks for the fix, John.

By: John White

John White — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:20:39 +0000

Isn’t four bars a very small fraction of one song? Like 15 seconds, depending on the timing and pace.

By: Chris Frank

Chris Frank — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:39:53 +0000

This is inspiring. It seems to me to dovetail with the work of Carol Dweck on the importance of a “growth” mindset.

Maybe people like Dickens are so successful because they always look at their work as a starting point. Gotta keep growing, keep getting better.

How limiting is it that our society still largely thinks of genius as something you’re born with?

Great post!