Reflections on writing 'Working to make the light go out'

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Taking advice from geniuses, we learn the value of paring away. (Photo by Giorgia Bonomo)

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Dear Readers,

Sometimes when I’m struggling to finish a piece I’m writing, I think of Michelangelo’s account of creating one of the masterpieces of art history, the astonishing marble statue of a defiant David. “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work,” Michelangelo said. “It is already there. I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.”

Yeah, and that’s kind of how I write, you know? I just carve away all the words that don’t belong, and – poof! – there’s a finished piece. Of course, in fairness to those of us who may not be among the most brilliant creative minds in human history, we ought to note that Michelangelo took more than three years to chip away all that superfluous marble. I can exclude most of the words in the English language and write a column from what’s left in less than a day.

I mention Michelangelo in this context because his comment underscores the most vital lesson I took from writing last weekend’s essay, published on Substack under the title, “Working to make the light go out.” It can be