What's In Focus?

When a writer cites "real" history, I expect veracity for all the facts—not some of the facts, not eliminating some points because the writer thinks that they don't provide enough strength for how he wants the reader to react.

All writers need to hone down the story, but the elimination needs to adhere to the truth of the story. By forgetting some salient facts or presenting some in a different light the writer becomes untrustworthy—and the best stories are taunted by an unreliable narrator.