--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Digression is my passion. I love telling…" description: "\"Digression is my passion. I love telling the main stories, but in some ways, what I love most is using those narratives as a way of stringing together ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/erik-larson-1710_book_digression-is-my-passion-i-love-telling_2222116.png" --- # Digression is my passion. I love telling the main stories… ![“Digression is my passion. I love telling the main stories, but in some ways, what I love most is using those narratives as a way of stringing together the interesting stories that people have kind of forgotten, and that are kind of surprising. The problem is, how do you pare stories away so that…” quote by Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/erik-larson-1710_book_digression-is-my-passion-i-love-telling_2222116.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/erik-larson-1710_book_digression-is-my-passion-i-love-telling_2222116.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/erik-larson-1710_book_digression-is-my-passion-i-love-telling_2222116.png) > “Digression is my passion. I love telling the main stories, but in some ways, what I love most is using those narratives as a way of stringing together the interesting stories that people have kind of forgotten, and that are kind of surprising. The problem is, how do you pare stories away so that the book doesn't become a distracting jumble of material, and readers lose focus? In my experience, there's really only one way to do that. I pack it all in with the rough draft, then count on myself and my trusted readers to tell me what's good and what's not good.” [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He explains his method of integrating many small narratives into a main story, using rough drafts and trusted readers to filter content. **In simple terms:** He mixes many side stories into a main story, relying on drafts and feedback to keep focus. Key Takeaway Use drafts and feedback to shape cohesive narratives. Themes writing storytelling editing collaboration Mood reflective analytical Type instructional process-oriented When to use this quote - author workshops - novel writing - nonfiction projects - creative brainstorming Key Concepts narrative structure feedback loops drafting Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide which side stories deserve inclusion? - What criteria do your readers use to judge relevance? A Different Perspective Balancing many ideas can dilute the core message if not carefully edited. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Digression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digression/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ## Related quotes > [Digression is my passion. I'm not kidding. I love telling the main stories, but in some ways, what I love most is using those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/digression-is-my-passion-i-m-not-kidding-i-love-telling-the-main/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [You read in any war stories - World War II, whatever - that there are many, many heroes. There are the main stories you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-filoni/you-read-in-any-war-stories-world-war-ii-whatever-that-there-are-many/) [Dave Filoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-filoni/) > [“It seemed that digression was the true principle of the universe, that the only real subject was the way the subject kept changing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-seemed-that-digression-was-the-true-principle-of-the-universe-that/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The more learned a writer, the more digression beckons him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-more-learned-a-writer-the-more-digression-beckons-him/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“The Duchess looked at Chloe with a look that said, You had the chance to tell him, but you chose to carry on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walliams/the-duchess-looked-at-chloe-with-a-look-that-said-you-had-the-chance/) [David Walliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walliams/) > [“I have digressed, which is also the kind of writer I would become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-have-digressed-which-is-also-the-kind-of-writer-i-would-become/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Nothing is more to the point than a good digression.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/nothing-is-more-to-the-point-than-a-good-digression/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [“For, let's face it, digression is the soul of wit. Take philosophic asides away from Dante, Milton or Hamlet's father's ghost and what stays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/for-let-s-face-it-digression-is-the-soul-of-wit-take-philosophic/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Oh, I don’t know. That digression business got on my nerves. I don’t know. The trouble with me is, I like it when somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-i-don-t-know-that-digression-business-got-on-my-nerves-i-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“That digression business got on my nerves. I don't now. The trouble with me is, I like it when somebody digresses. It's more interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/that-digression-business-got-on-my-nerves-i-don-t-now-the-trouble/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [The inclination to digress is human. But the dramatist must avoid it even more strenuously than the saint must avoid sin, for while sin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-inclination-to-digress-is-human-but-the-dramatist-must-avoid-it/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Digression is the soul of wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/digression-is-the-soul-of-wit/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“the feeling of being a digression not the link in the argument, a new direction, an offshoot, the limb going on elsewhere, and liking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorie-graham/the-feeling-of-being-a-digression-not-the-link-in-the-argument-a-new/) [Jorie Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorie-graham/) > [“(This is not a digression.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/this-is-not-a-digression/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“The real secret, though, is that nobody belongs, whether they are natives or not. After expulsion from paradise all humans are in exile. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-codrescu/the-real-secret-though-is-that-nobody-belongs-whether-they-are/) [Andrei Codrescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-codrescu/) ## More by Erik Larson > [I've heard from the movie marketplace that James Cameron did such a killer job with 'Titanic' that it's almost impossible to do anything better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-ve-heard-from-the-movie-marketplace-that-james-cameron-did-such-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [As a rule, I am very skeptical of tying books to anniversaries. I don't think readers care. I also feel that it just about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/as-a-rule-i-am-very-skeptical-of-tying-books-to-anniversaries-i-don-t/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“look as if they had been plucked from the Palace of Versailles or a Jacobean mansion—that you were aboard a ship being propelled far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/look-as-if-they-had-been-plucked-from-the-palace-of-versailles-or-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [That's what I love about history - nuance. I don't believe in unalloyed heroes. Everyone's got warts, and everyone's got a surprise side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/that-s-what-i-love-about-history-nuance-i-don-t-believe-in-unalloyed/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Holmes was charming and gracious, but something about him made Belknap uneasy. He could not have defined it. 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I understand it is somewhere in the hinterland.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/at-present-he-said-i-am-responsible-for-conveying-my-associates-to-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I knew from an online search that the Wisconsin State Historical Society, on the vast University of Wisconsin campus, held the papers of Sigrid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-knew-from-an-online-search-that-the-wisconsin-state-historical/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Dodd continued to hope that the murders would so outrage the German public that the regime would fall, but as the days passed he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/dodd-continued-to-hope-that-the-murders-would-so-outrage-the-german/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I envy other writers who claim to have a backlog of books they'd like to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-envy-other-writers-who-claim-to-have-a-backlog-of-books-they-d-like/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Trying to find ideas is the hardest part of my job. You'd think it would be the most fun. Just sitting around reading whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/trying-to-find-ideas-is-the-hardest-part-of-my-job-you-d-think-it/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Her blind endorsement of Hitler’s regime first faded to a kind of sympathetic skepticism, but as summer approached,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/her-blind-endorsement-of-hitler-s-regime-first-faded-to-a-kind-of/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Perhaps, Herr Ditzen, it is less important where one lives than how one lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/perhaps-herr-ditzen-it-is-less-important-where-one-lives-than-how-one/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I figured, correctly, that Berlin in February was not a destination coveted by tourists. 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I love telling the main stories, but in some ways, what I love most is using those narratives as a way of stringing together the interesting stories that people have kind of forgotten, and that are kind of surprising. The problem is, how do you pare stories away so that the book doesn't become a distracting jumble of material, and readers lose focus? In my experience, there's really only one way to do that. 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