Quote of the Day: Keep only the good stuff

Short stories are designed to deliver their impact in as few pages as possible. A tremendous amount is left out, and a good short story writer learns to include only the most essential information.
—Orson Scott Card

Card, a science-fiction novelist, is talking about fiction here, but it’s true of the short pieces that make up the vast majority of all sportswriting, and it’s true of long-form nonfiction writing too.

Including only the most essential information is the big-picture cousin of making every word count.

See also this bit of wisdom from another novelist, Elmore Leonard.