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Terry Freedman's avatar

Great post, one that really resonates with me. I especially like the bicycle analogy.

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John P. Weiss's avatar

I have always preferred painterly works over slavish photo realism. We have cameras for that. I prefer seeing the unique hand of the artist. And your equating this to writing is most helpful. As is the idea of opening the aperture (which made me smile because I like to shoot with a 50mm wide open, to craft tighter images). Opening the aperture, as it relates to writing, is like bearing more of one’s soul, instead of being superficial. When someone asks me what a good book is about, I struggle sometimes. Yes, I can provide a synopsis, but the magic and truth of the book is in the words and experience. “Read it,” I’ll say, “Because telling you won’t do it justice.” The same with a great film. You have to experience it all. The music, imagery. It all culminates into the memorable experience. The unique vision and personality of the director.

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