Singin'

I was recently reading through a review of Singin' in the Rain and how the film was known for the sacrifice it demanded of its actors. Donald O'Connor had to be hospitalized after his "Make 'Em Laugh" number, Debbie Reynold's endured both harsh criticism and bleeding feet in the "Good Morning" song, and Gene Kelly, during his iconic dance number in the rain, was suffering from a high fever. Yet the audience is never allowed to see this. They see only the finished product, sleek and ready, without being privy to the weeks spent in rehearsal, the years of preparation and perfecting the art, the literal blood and sweat and tears that go into it.

As the boys from Film School Rejects so aptly put it.

"It's the MO of good Entertainment to hide the labor that goes into making good entertainment. It might seem fun and even, at times, effortless to us, but that's because we buy into the light tone that takes so much effort and work to pull off."

That is art, and it is the way I feel about writing. The Rebel Shang has been kind enough to read through many, many bits, pieces, and drafts of my current story, following its incremental progrress over a year, and I know that when she reads the completed book it will seem to her very short. I try to write every day, but even this is sometimes excruciatingly slow. I can only hope that my time and efforts result in something well worth the reading.