Remember the Bob Seeger classic Running Against the Wind? A line has been sticking with me: "what to leave in . . . what to leave out." Writing is about that. Every word is a choice. I've been listening to a lot of writers lately, on C-Span (Q & A) and at the Chicago Lit Fest. I am impressed by the amount of research they do. Years in the archives at one library or another.
The archives are where everything is left in and it's the author's job to decide what to use. Bob Seeger was singing about growing up. The authors are crafting a good story. Maybe Bob's line applies to both. The more we hang around, the more there is to overlook or declare unimportant.
And, don't we want our lives to be a good story as we keep running against the wind?
Listen to Malcolm Gladwell's podcast called Revisionist History for a further commentary of what you are saying Joan
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