In her book "In Other Words," Jhumpa Lahiri emphasizes the transformative process involved in writing autobiographical fiction. She argues that even when drawing from personal experiences and memories, a careful reevaluation and stringent editing are essential. The act of writing is not merely about putting words on paper, but about crafting a compelling narrative by judiciously selecting what to include and what to omit.

Lahiri likens this editing process to the artistic methods of Matisse, suggesting that writers must approach their work with the precision of an artist using scissors. This metaphor illustrates that the creation of meaningful literature involves not just writing, but also refining and reshaping the narrative until it achieves its most effective form.