Kill Your Darlings
If you’re a writer and have been around for a bit, you’ve likely heard of the phrase ‘kill your darlings.’
The original phrase is attributed to British writer Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch in his 1916 book On the Art of Writing: “If you here require a practical rule of me, I will present you with this: ‘Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it–whole-heartedly–and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.’”
Since then, it’s been used by many writers, scholars, and famous authors.
Most recently, Stephen King mentioned it in his memoir On Writing, and it’s one of my favorite quotes from the book: “Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”
But why are Quiller-Couch and King so insistent? And does it mean writers have to get rid of every piece of dialogue or scene they hold dear?
What Is a ‘Darling’ in Fiction Writing?
Darlings are words, phrases, dialogue, paragraphs, and even entire chapters that we, as writers, love with our whole hearts. Often, they’re scenes we had the best time writing nearly to the point where we don’t even care if they fit within the plot or story.
We love them, and we want to keep them.
Darling scenes are hard to cut because authors have enjoyed writing them, they show character interaction, good times, etc.
But, how do we find our darlings?
How to Find Your Darlings in Fiction Writing
It likely will be hard–but not impossible–for you to spot the darlings in your writing. So I do advocate for time away from your manuscript to come back with a more critical eye, less attached heart.
If you have a writing group, critique partner, beta reader(s), or trusted friend, then they’ll be able to spot them for you. They can help you find out from a reader’s POV what works and what doesn’t.
If the darling doesn’t work for the plot or the story, it might have to be cut from your manuscript.
Some darlings to look out for are:
Redundancies
Witty turns of phrase or dialogue
Secondary characters that can be combined
Scenes that don’t drive the plot or story
Now that we identified them, do we really have to kill them?
The answer: it depends.
Darlings: To Kill or Not to Kill
Before you cut anything, I advise creating a separate document to store your darlings. They may come in handy later on or with an entirely different piece of writing.
If you think you have a darling on your hands, here are questions to ask yourself:
Are any of the Big Three (plot, character, worldbuilding) advanced in the scene?
Can you rework elements from the scene into other scenes?
If not, is there a way to create more conflict/raise the stakes to reveal vital information within the scene?
Not all darlings need to be killed. Some can be rewritten to better serve the narrative.
As you’re self-editing, mark important dialogue, action moments, and snippets of interiority that need to make it to the next draft. And figure out a way to infuse the scene with conflict or raise the stakes.
Conflict drives narrative traction.
A ticking clock
An obstacle
In other words: Can you bring in an element of action to replace, contextualize, and balance the scene?
The Aftermath
Don’t be afraid to make serious cuts in your writing, especially if they aren’t serving the overall narrative.
To recap:
Identify darling scenes.
Do they serve the narrative to advance the plot, character arc, or worldbuilding?
Will incorporating conflict or raising the stakes help the scene?
If not, chop-chop.
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