--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think most of us, as writers, have had…" description: "\"I think most of us, as writers, have had experiences where you get edited and it doesn't feel like your voice at all. And so it's been nice to go throu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/sarah-stillman-21738_cutting_i-think-most-of-us-as-writers-have-had-e_1153588.jpg" --- # I think most of us, as writers, have had experiences where… ![“I think most of us, as writers, have had experiences where you get edited and it doesn't feel like your voice at all. And so it's been nice to go through the experience of having a lot wind up on the cutting-room floor, and yet still feel that your voice is being - not purified, but made more…” quote by Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/sarah-stillman-21738_cutting_i-think-most-of-us-as-writers-have-had-e_1153588.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/sarah-stillman-21738_cutting_i-think-most-of-us-as-writers-have-had-e_1153588.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/sarah-stillman-21738_cutting_i-think-most-of-us-as-writers-have-had-e_1153588.jpg) > “I think most of us, as writers, have had experiences where you get edited and it doesn't feel like your voice at all. And so it's been nice to go through the experience of having a lot wind up on the cutting-room floor, and yet still feel that your voice is being - not purified, but made more yourself. I think that's a very rare thing.” [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Editing can strip away personal voice, but it can also refine and deepen it, making the work more authentic. **In simple terms:** Editing refines, not erases, your voice. Key Takeaway Embrace editing as a tool for authenticity. Themes writing creativity authenticity self‑expression Mood reflective thoughtful inspired Type advice reflective process When to use this quote - novel drafting - journalistic pieces - academic papers - blog posts - screenplays Key Concepts voice revision authorial identity craftsmanship Questions to Reflect On - How can you preserve your core message while accepting changes? - When does editing become over‑editing? A Different Perspective If editing is too aggressive, it may dilute the original intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Rare things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rare-things/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [People get trapped sometimes and they don't feel they have a voice. 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I want him to talk into me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/when-henry-telephones-i-feel-his-voice-in-my-veins-i-want-him-to-talk/) [Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [I feel my voice can fit in many things so it's very interesting to combine things and music styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarja-turunen/i-feel-my-voice-can-fit-in-many-things-so-it-s-very-interesting-to/) [Tarja Turunen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarja-turunen/) > [I believe that when we love someone, we respect them, and we listen to them; we feel that their voice matters. And- we let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/i-believe-that-when-we-love-someone-we-respect-them-and-we-listen-to/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [“Material goods rarely alter our levels of happiness, unlike emotional experience. Having can never replace being. -Ilsa Crawford”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-thomsen-brits/material-goods-rarely-alter-our-levels-of-happiness-unlike-emotional/) [Louisa Thomsen Brits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-thomsen-brits/) > [Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. 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I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-i-never-think-of-something-that/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I try to come to my reporting as a real, whole person, not an automaton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-try-to-come-to-my-reporting-as-a-real-whole-person-not-an-automaton-2/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [The tremendous challenge of narrative journalism about subjects that are underreported is, how do you make people care about something they think they already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-journalism-about-subjects-that/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I tend to gravitate toward the "act two," or "act three," or "act four" stories - either things that are underreported, where we think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-tend-to-gravitate-toward-the-act-two-or-act-three-or-act-four/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [Thinking through how you find that intersection between individual, compelling human narratives and structural, systemic injustices - that's the place that's most interesting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/thinking-through-how-you-find-that-intersection-between-individual/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I always knew I wanted to write, but I didn't know that I would want to do investigative reporting - in part because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-write-but-i-didn-t-know-that-i-would-want/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [Often, I'm spending months with a person in a very intimate context, getting to know the ins and outs of what they ate for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/often-i-m-spending-months-with-a-person-in-a-very-intimate-context/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [People are sometimes losing their homes before being convicted of a crime, or their cash or their cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/people-are-sometimes-losing-their-homes-before-being-convicted-of-a/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I feel like I partly came to writing through being in college during the start of the Iraq war, and knowing that those issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-feel-like-i-partly-came-to-writing-through-being-in-college-during/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [There is space for a different kind of investigative reporting that's about immersion and obsessive attention to detail and deep listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/there-is-space-for-a-different-kind-of-investigative-reporting-that-s/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [For me, the part of reporting that's the most rewarding and energizing is just hearing directly from people whose voices haven't often been heard,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/for-me-the-part-of-reporting-that-s-the-most-rewarding-and-energizing/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [One thing I've discovered is that if you remain in contact with people, if you build longitudinal relationships, if you invest in sources who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you-remain-in-contact-with/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [Often, my central challenge is figuring out how do I build trust, how do I acquaint people who've just endured some terrible event -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/often-my-central-challenge-is-figuring-out-how-do-i-build-trust-how/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) [Explore all 28 Sarah Stillman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) ## More Cutting quotes > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. 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