Hello, everybody. Time for some pain. I'm almost done with Camp Nano and I thought I'd write one more blog post about revision before the month is over. I was going to title this "Killing Your Babies" but I didn't want to get in trouble with anyone (people just willfully misunderstand writers, don't they?). No, I'm not talking about killing your characters, though that can be part of the process too. Your darlings can be anything about your story that you particularly like--scenes, descriptions, witty dialogue, a clever allusion--anything, in fact, that you particularly DON'T want to get rid of. |
"Cut what you love." -Joss Whedon
It's not just an exercise in self harm: there is a point to it. Those parts of your story that you love so much are often in the way of your writing. You're so determined not to mess them up that you write the story around them; the story gets stilted and you start forgetting what it was supposed to be about in the first place.
The good news is that taking out those parts is actually a relief. It's wonderfully freeing to find that you don't have to be glued to any part of your story--that you're back in control. You can (and probably should) save the parts you take out, in case you find a place for them in your story later on. In the meantime the story can move on and you can enjoy your new-found freedom.
Okay, so you don't ALWAYS have to cut what you love. Just don't be afraid to do it.
The good news is that taking out those parts is actually a relief. It's wonderfully freeing to find that you don't have to be glued to any part of your story--that you're back in control. You can (and probably should) save the parts you take out, in case you find a place for them in your story later on. In the meantime the story can move on and you can enjoy your new-found freedom.
Okay, so you don't ALWAYS have to cut what you love. Just don't be afraid to do it.