I've long felt that all creative pursuits share a common thread, something that gives them structure. In each it's manifested in different forms, but they're all related to each other. In all cases, it's what I tend to admire in that work.

I don't quite know what it is in programming; that's part of why I love it so much. I tend to call it "logic", but I mean that term in a very specific sense whose definition eludes me. Sometimes I wonder if figuring out exactly what I mean by "logic" might take the mystique out of programming.

In books, it's called "plot". What makes or breaks a book for me is not the characters or the setting or the detail; it's the form of the story being told. The other things can make a piece even more wonderful, but it will get nowhere with me unless it has a plot.

In film, it's called "editing". The choice of which shot to use and how long to use it makes a movie or TV show work. The rest is icing on the cake.

I've decided tonight that in music, it's called "beat".