--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In my experience, cutting back is the…" description: "\"“In my experience, cutting back is the crucial act that allows the vitality, precision and emotional heart of a piece of writing to emerge.”\" — Pamela ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pamela-erens-76455_cutting_in-my-experience-cutting-back-is-the-cru_2275119.jpg" --- # In my experience, cutting back is the crucial act that… ![“In my experience, cutting back is the crucial act that allows the vitality, precision and emotional heart of a piece of writing to emerge.” quote by Pamela Erens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pamela-erens-76455_cutting_in-my-experience-cutting-back-is-the-cru_2275119.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pamela-erens-76455_cutting_in-my-experience-cutting-back-is-the-cru_2275119.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pamela-erens-76455_cutting_in-my-experience-cutting-back-is-the-cru_2275119.jpg) > ““In my experience, cutting back is the crucial act that allows the vitality, precision and emotional heart of a piece of writing to emerge.”” Pamela Erens ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Editing that removes excess reveals a work’s core energy, clarity, and emotional impact. **In simple terms:** Cutting excess uncovers a piece’s true heart. Key Takeaway Edit ruthlessly to reveal vitality. Themes writing editing clarity Mood reflective determined Type advice literary When to use this quote - novel drafting - academic papers - blog posts - creative writing - self‑editing Key Concepts minimalism precision emotional resonance Questions to Reflect On - What parts of your work feel over‑refined? - How can you balance precision with richness? A Different Perspective Over‑editing can strip essential nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Writers know all the good reasons for subjecting their work to a sharp trim. Early drafts are notorious for repetition, indirection and overdevelopment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-erens/writers-know-all-the-good-reasons-for-subjecting-their-work-to-a/) Pamela Erens > [Once I've written something it does tend to run away from me. I don't seem to have any part of it - it's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/once-i-ve-written-something-it-does-tend-to-run-away-from-me-i-don-t/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [One nice thing about putting the thing away for a couple of months before looking at it is that you start appreciate your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-brust/one-nice-thing-about-putting-the-thing-away-for-a-couple-of-months/) [Steven Brust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-brust/) > [A piece of writing is like a piece of magic. You create something out of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-clarke/a-piece-of-writing-is-like-a-piece-of-magic-you-create-something-out/) [Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-clarke/) > [“A real piece of writing is one in which the writer has tried to enrich not only the book, but also his understanding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wiggins/a-real-piece-of-writing-is-one-in-which-the-writer-has-tried-to/) [Karl Wiggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wiggins/) > [I read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two I know whether it is by a woman or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/i-read-a-piece-of-writing-and-within-a-paragraph-or-two-i-know/) [V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [So, then, what is style? There are two chief aspects of any piece of writing: 1) what you say and 2) how you say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/so-then-what-is-style-there-are-two-chief-aspects-of-any-piece-of/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [A piece of writing is the product of a series of explosions in the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/a-piece-of-writing-is-the-product-of-a-series-of-explosions-in-the/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [From a writing point of view, you now have teams of screenwriters working with a director. What's lost in the process is the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-eszterhas/from-a-writing-point-of-view-you-now-have-teams-of-screenwriters/) [Joe Eszterhas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-eszterhas/) > [The characters created cannot just be a mouthpiece for the writer. When you look at a piece of writing, and it's genuine and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/the-characters-created-cannot-just-be-a-mouthpiece-for-the-writer/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [When I visit schools and talk to students about writing, I give them one word of advice and I give it to them quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/when-i-visit-schools-and-talk-to-students-about-writing-i-give-them/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [A student comes to me with a piece of writing, holds it out, says, 'Is this good?' A whole sequence of emergencies goes off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/a-student-comes-to-me-with-a-piece-of-writing-holds-it-out-says-is/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [A problem with a piece of writing often clarifies itself if you go for a long walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/a-problem-with-a-piece-of-writing-often-clarifies-itself-if-you-go/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [Once a piece of writing gets to a moment where it's not going to get much better than it already is, marinate it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/once-a-piece-of-writing-gets-to-a-moment-where-it-s-not-going-to-get/) [David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/) > [Each piece of writing I undertake, whether a story, novel, play, or poem, begins with an image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/each-piece-of-writing-i-undertake-whether-a-story-novel-play-or-poem/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) ## More by Pamela Erens > [“Children were in fact ferocious little animals, sharp and canny and hurt and eager to inflict hurt themselves, who were trying to get what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-erens/children-were-in-fact-ferocious-little-animals-sharp-and-canny-and/) Pamela Erens > [“Writers know all the good reasons for subjecting their work to a sharp trim. Early drafts are notorious for repetition, indirection and overdevelopment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-erens/writers-know-all-the-good-reasons-for-subjecting-their-work-to-a/) Pamela Erens Explore all 3 Pamela Erens quotes ## More Cutting quotes > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/) [Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I didn't understand Southland Tales script at all! Is there a single word to describe it? Cacophony? It's celebrity meets pornography meets politics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-didn-t-understand-southland-tales-script-at-all-is-there-a-single/) [Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [God holds each of us by a string. When we sin, we cut the string. But God ties it up again, making a knot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/god-holds-each-of-us-by-a-string-when-we-sin-we-cut-the-string-but/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [What's the difference between obsolete and cutting edge? Obsolete works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/what-s-the-difference-between-obsolete-and-cutting-edge-obsolete-works/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) Browse all 6,010 Cutting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In my experience, cutting back is the crucial act that allows the vitality, precision and emotional heart of a piece of writing to emerge.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pamela Erens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-erens/in-my-experience-cutting-back-is-the-crucial-act-that-allows-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cutting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-erens/in-my-experience-cutting-back-is-the-crucial-act-that-allows-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pamela-erens-76455_cutting_in-my-experience-cutting-back-is-the-cru_2275119.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pamela-erens-76455_cutting_in-my-experience-cutting-back-is-the-cru_2275119.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pamela-erens-76455_cutting_in-my-experience-cutting-back-is-the-cru_2275119.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In my experience, cutting back is the crucial act that allows the vitality, precision and emotional heart of…” — Pamela Erens", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Pamela Erens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-erens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In my experience, cutting back is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-erens/in-my-experience-cutting-back-is-the-crucial-act-that-allows-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-erens/in-my-experience-cutting-back-is-the-crucial-act-that-allows-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```