Quotes About Editing

Sometimes I watch a scene I've written, and occasionally I think, "Oh, for God's sake, shut up."

Come on, a 25-page digression on god? You can't have that kind of thing, cut it out!"

There is 3 key things for good photography: the camera,lighting and... Photoshop

There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.

The main thing is that you have a good editor - one that believes in you and who will give you the feedback that you need to produce a good book.

I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter.

A good writer is not someone who knows how to write- but how to rewrite

A good movie is three good scenes and no bad scenes.

Good writing is essentially rewriting.

I try to be as ruthless as possible. I ask myself of each sentence, "Is it clear? Is it true? Does it feel good?" And if it's not, then I rewrite it.

We sometimes received - and I would read - 200 manuscripts a week. Some of them were wonderful, some were terrible; most were mediocre. It was like the gifts of the good and bad fairies.

Disorganizatio n is the enemy of good writing.

I'm really specific in the way that I shoot. I've always had a very good sense of what I need in the editing room.

Good stories are not written. They are rewritten.

I didn't feel good about cutting out parts of very famous speeches, ... You think you somehow need all of it or you get none of it, but that's not true.

Film is an editor's medium. You can create very good raw material and they can make it horrible, or you can do not so well and they can make it beautiful. You don't really know.

Good writing is lean and confident.

There is no such thing as great writing - there is only great re-writing!

There is no great writing, only great rewriting.

I'm not a great writer. I'm a great rewriter.

The great art of writing is knowing when to stop.

Most of my success, I feel, comes from being a good editor as opposed to a great writer.

Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down.

You'll learn that the key to a great book is editing-grindin g, buffing, and polishing-not writing.