Dave Eggers

My first drafts are not, are very rough.

Are they longer or no?

You know, a really good writer, your final draft is shorter than your first, right?

Because you've distilled.

You ever hear that phrase, like, I didn't have enough time to make this shorter?

And it's like, if you're doing your job well, you are cutting out the fat.

You're making it lean itself.

I did just finish a book.

for all ages where I cut 100 pages in three weeks.

And it was so much better.

And it was a gift to the poor reader that was going to have to slog through this overlong book.

But other people were ready to sign off on it.

And I read it late in the game and I was like, this just,

It's undisciplined.

And you know how it's such, no one teaches you that.

Yeah.

If you see real discipline in film in particular and really tight editing, it's just such pleasure.

And then if you see something drag or a little bit lazy or a little bit too forgiving of some long, languorous take, then you're like,

Why am I more bored than I've ever been in my life?

Just because this one take is like, you know, a minute and a half long.