Directly from my brain and onto the internet.
Published on April 27, 2006 By PJ_ In Misc
I came across this little quote while reading this essay about essays.
Fundamentally an essay is a train of thought-- but a cleaned-up train of thought, as dialogue is cleaned-up conversation. Real thought, like real conversation, is full of false starts. It would be exhausting to read. You need to cut and fill to emphasize the central thread,

There's the root of my problem right there. I developed my expectations of social interactions while watching movies and reading books. I'm trying to have conversations and getting disappointed, scared, or embarrassed when it doesn't come out like movie dialog. Nobody writes a real conversation, and the conversations you see in books and movies are impossible to have in real life. Even people recounting their own supposedly real conversations cut out the boring parts. No wonder I can't measure up.

(This article might have been longer, but it's bed time. Goodnight, internet.)

Comments
on Apr 28, 2006
Very good.  I had never thought of the difference, but reading this was a DOH moment.  It is so simple and true that why had I not thought about it before?
on May 05, 2006
that is what I was trying to express to you before. pj, it is rare that a movie, tv show or book isn't written and re written and re written. look at a hip and cool show like saturday night live. it's on(live) the air for what, about an hour a week. everyone that is on the show, the writing staff and lorn michaels are working the rest of the week to get one hour (minus comercials, minus 8-10 mins of music) funny and interesting and in 5-10 min bits that not everyone enjoys(grandma probably wouldn't). don't sweat what you are going to say, relax, people are essentially simmilar(we all breath air and have our own asperations) [some of us aspire to rule the world, some aspire to be happy, and some aspire to shock and stand out(or be the crazy guy who begs for change and his only delema is what bottle of booze to spend his beggings on and which dumpster to use for food, shelter and toilet)]. though neither would ever admit it but I bet george bush and osama bin ladden or sadam housane have simmilar interests with each other. i'm gunna go relax. if you ever get the chance ask(write him a letter/email) neil gamen how many times he wrote your favorite passage in your favorite book of his. if I remember right f scott fitzgerald had the plot for the great gatsby for a long time but it took ever so long to hammer out the great american novel and I think he even might have worked with an editor or two. I'm going to go relax and fall asleep infront of the tv cus i've got work in the morning.