Tuesday's Tidbits: Kill Your Darlings

When I am writing, sometimes I construct a sentence or develop a plot point or create a character with which I am enamoured. The way the words roll off my tongue or the hint of quirkiness I can't seem to get over in a certain character. These are the gems of writing, right? The answer is a very ambiguous, sometimes and sometimes not.

Most of us cringe when it comes to the dreaded "E" word. Rightly so; editing hurts. But, as you edit, sometimes it becomes necessary to ax these special bits of writing you've nursed and helped to grow. We tend to put a little, white picket fence around those phrases and plot points we love. We arduously protect them from the red pen, but there comes a time when for the sake of the project, you must kill your little darlings. This was a phrase first coined by William Faulkner.

Faulkner's advice rings true for most writers. Objectivity is important when it comes to editing. Somehow, we need to find a way to remove ourselves from the emotion of the words we've created. Maybe that character you love just isn't suited for this piece of writing. Or, maybe that sentence you enjoy sounds out of place with the tone or voice of the piece. As difficult as it may be to slash your darlings, most of the time, your writing improves with them gone.

So, it's okay. Strike those darlings, delete them, erase them....or, maybe cut them and paste them in a file, if that makes you feel better. You can save them and hope that those precious bits of writing will fit better in your next MS. I've done that before, and while I've never used them, I admit it feels good knowing they are just a click away!

"The difference between the right word and the nearly right word is the same

as the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."

---Mark Twain