Who said kill your darlings

Kudos more often go to the better-remembered F. After all, they know the inevitability of getting a little blood on their hands. You can almost hear the writer panting and gasping for breath. Instead, really good writing should look like figure skating or ballet — graceful, elegant and effortless. Even though it is the product of hard work. As I have said countless times, fast writing is the best writing — even if this means the writing eventually needs repair. You cannot achieve flow if you attempt to edit or otherwise fuss while writing.

Keep the writing and editing processes separate! Consider the 19th century book versus the modern one. The reason you want to do it this way is because the flow of the story will be in your head.

Write it fresh, and see what happens. I bet you sixteen oranges it comes out better. I know this is a seriously hard piece of advice. Trust your readers, and trust yourself. First, copy the troublesome bit and put it in a separate file; second, delete it from your original manuscript.

Third, re-read the bit that came before your deleted portion. If you like, you can use a timer for fifteen minutes. It just needs to be done. Join over , readers who are saying YES to practice. Building an Author Website. Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest. Our hearts surge when we read them. Ruthanne Reid. Jul 18, AM. Peter books view quotes. Emma Porter books view quotes. Jun 17, AM. Summer 0 books view quotes. Jun 07, PM.

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