Tamara Eaton - The Author's Assistant
  • Home
  • Editing Services
  • Client Publications and Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy

K is for Kill Your Darlings

5/27/2011

0 Comments

 
This advice is much given, much misunderstood and much attributed. It's been attributed to Faulkner or Twain.

Some people will claim it means you need to literally kill off a character (and all our characters are our darlings).

I'm in the camp that it means sometimes you have to kill a scene, sentence, or section you've slaved over and are attached to, but it doesn't serve the story.

Should the darling be killed? Things to consider when considering murder:

Is it in character? Does the section or scene elaborate on the character? Is the person acting in character, and if not is there a reason. Character transformation sometimes means the character does act differently, but in evaluating the darling, the new behavior should be a natural outcome of the previous action.

Are you overwriting or overexplaining? If you've shown the character, setting, or plot in other areas, you may not need to restate it.

As always, how you choose to implement this suggestion comes down to being objective about your own writing. Sometimes this is difficult. If your darling is one you feel strongly about, give it some time, a few days to a month or so and then go back and review the scene in question. If you feel it serves the story, then leave it, if not, take it out.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have you ever had to kill a darling? What was it, how did you feel afterward? Comment here or email me at authorsassistant@hotmail.com


0 Comments

    Tamara Eaton

     is an author and editor. Her former career as an English teacher assists her to help others through editing services. She's available for workshops. See her Editing Services Page for details. Be sure to get updates by clicking the RSS feed below for continuing writing tips.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2019
    January 2014
    October 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011

    Categories

    All
    Absence
    Action Verbs
    Agent
    A Good Editor
    A To Z
    Author Intrusion
    Backstory
    Back Story
    Balance
    Beginning
    Beginnings
    Beginning Writer's Trap
    Blog Hop
    Character Action
    Character Arc
    Characterization
    Character Paralysis
    Characters
    Cliffhanger
    Conflict
    Connections With Readers
    Creative Writing
    Description
    Deus Ex Machina
    Dialogue
    Emotion
    End
    Endings
    Epilogue
    First Chapter
    First Person
    Flashbacks
    Future Learn Course
    Goal Setting
    Grammar
    Head Hopping
    Hook
    I
    Jumpcut
    Keith Publications
    Kill Your Darlings
    KimandTamara
    Libertyhallwriters.org
    Linear Writing
    Maslow
    Merry Christmas
    Middle
    MindMorsels
    Multiple Pov
    Nanowrimo 2011
    Narration
    Narrator
    Narrator Voice
    Non-participating Narrator
    Objectivity
    Omniscient Narration
    Overwriting
    Page Turning Writing
    Persephone's Song
    P Is For Point Of View
    Plots
    Point Of View
    Pronouns
    Query
    Reading Pleasure
    Resolution
    Revise
    Revising
    Revising Tips
    Revision
    Risky Writing
    Sensory Writing
    Showing Vs Telling9b85a64ffd
    Showmeyourlits
    Show Vs. Tell
    Show Vs Tell94248b61ba
    Story
    Subplots
    Subtext
    Summer
    Tcljtoastedcheesecoma9c588cebe
    Tension
    Universal Story
    Vivid Verbs
    Weeping Women Springs
    Where To Start
    Workshop
    Writer Links
    Writer's Voice
    Writing
    Writing Challenges
    Writing Contests
    Writing Exercise
    Writing Habits
    Writing Styles
    Writing Tips

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photo used under Creative Commons from joiseyshowaa