Did you know that the movie we know as Annie Hall was a tiny part of a gigantic, life-spanning Woody Allen movie called Anhedonia? If you did, congratulations! This information isn't secret; it's been public knowledge for decades. But if, like me, you somehow missed the story of Anhedonia, Chris Dickens at Ozy explains:

The main plot of Annie Hall — the love story between Alvy Singer, played by Allen, and Annie, played by Keaton — was originally only one of many subplots in Anhedonia, an exploration of Singer’s midlife, Ingmar-Bergman-esque search for meaning after turning 40. Allen himself had just turned 40 when he and Marshall Brickman wrote the script in 1975.

The movie was a philosophical odyssey not just through Singer’s entire life — from a girl-obsessed 6-year-old living under a roller coaster to a neurotic 40-year-old comedian — but through his detailed, hilarious assessment of that life. This version made room for a murder mystery, a sci-fi spoof, a basketball match between Singer and philosophers like Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, a trip to Nazi Germany, another to the Garden of Eden and an elevator tour through all nine layers of hell (and much more).

You should go read the whole thing. If you're involved in any creative pursuits at all, the story of Anhedonia is an important one, because it highlights the importance of editing. The act of editing is where most works are transformed from raw creativity into a finished work of art. It's the difference between a story that tries to be everything and a story that does one thing exactly right.