Craft Chat How to kill your darlings - some useful advice from a group of professionals

[Peggy Lou]

We are all attached to our literary darlings, but sooner or later we have to kill them off. This piece by NY books editors makes interesting and useful reading.

Hope you enjoy it. Must go and kill some more darlings now.

Kill Your Darlings: How to Approach Your Writing Without Sentimentality - NY Book Editors

 

[KG Christopher]

This is a skill I learned long ago as a software developer. It's not uncommon to get attached to a piece of software you have written. Sometimes it gets ditched or de-commissioned and I have seen many a grown adult break down in tears knowing their program will never get anywhere near a register again.

I am lucky in that the fiction I write is mostly middle grade and tends to end with happy endings and everyone getting along just swimmingly.

 

[James Marinero]

It's very like editing. I loved that para but it's got to go. one of my MCs is on his/her last legs but doesn't know it yet. Still, he/she might do a Bobby/Roberta Ewing...

 

[Katie-Ellen]

When I kill a darling, I stick it in a 'dump file.' I might find another, better use for it, and if I don't, it's not so melancholy as deleting it outright.

 

[James Marinero]

When I kill a darling, I stick it in a 'dump file.' I might find another, better use for it, and if I don't, it's not so melancholy as deleting it outright.

Fine, but you are an experienced serial killer. I'm just starting out, haven't lost my conscience yet

 

[David Newrick]

Thanks for posting this Peggy. It really is the hardest part, I have found in my own case, to delete my darlings. But it is absolutely essential and the article is a good reminder for me.

 

[AgentPete]

Hello @Peggy Lou,

We are changing the status of this ticket to closed as we have not heard back from you in 7 days.