(don’t) kill your darlings (010)

You need to love what you write, or you will never get through the hard work of finishing and then editing your stories. But how do you love something when all the experts are telling you to “kill it!”? 

In this episode, I look at the history of one of the popular lessons new/young writers are told: “kill your darlings.” It’s well intended, but what does that mean in the context of “write what you love to read”? 

The history of this advice is not as clear cut as you think, and I look at the ways that it can both help and hinder a writer. As with most pithy aphorisms, it contains a kernel of truth, and I explore the value of questioning your “darlings” in the context of story elements such as plot, character development, and world building. Then I take it further and question what it means to have “darlings” as a writer, and why that is actually important.

LINKS:

Jeannette Ng’s fantastic twitter thread on self-censoring and self-limiting beliefs

“Who really said ‘Kill Your Darlings’?” article at Slate:

Joss Whedon quote referenced in the podcast:

“If something isn't working, if you have a story that you've built and it's blocked and you can't figure it out, take your favorite scene, or your very best idea or set-piece, and cut it. It's brutal, but sometimes inevitable.”