Thomas Carlyle, reading the manuscript for John Stuart Mill's "Autobiography," accidentally used the manuscript for kindling in his fireplace. (This is, of course, before computers.) Mill had to rewrite his autobiography from scratch--a daunting task for anyone. Afterward, Mill reported that his book was better for the tragedy: it was more concise and had a better defined purpose. Can you throw away your paper? What will you remember if you start over?