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You are here: Home / Potpourri / Murder Your Darlings When You Write?

Murder Your Darlings When You Write?

Murder Your Darlings When You Write?

The saying “Murder Your Darlings” was, I think popularized among writers in this very book.

It refers to editing ones work and the fact that once you write something, it becomes special to you.

And a passage or chapter that becomes a treasured possession becomes harder and harder to cut during the editing process.

King’s point here is that a useful editing job, however, necessarily requires cutting and changing one’s work on a constant basis.

So writers need to get over their attachment to their work and not be afraid to “murder their darlings.”

I feel like I agree here – and disagree at the same time.

See, artistic quality is subjective.

So while I don’t think artists and writers should not be intentionally putting out work they know is trash, I also think they don’t need to spend a year editing and rewriting looking for “perfection.”

I mean, everyone thought Van Gogh was painting garbage his entire life.

Thank goodness he didn’t spend forever fretting over perfection and only get a half dozen paintings finished.

If it works, fine. If it doesn’t, toss it. Toss it even if you love it. Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch once said, “Murder your darlings,” and he was right.

-Stephen King, On Writing

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Filed Under: PotpourriTagged With: #Editing, #Writing

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