Kill Your Darlings, Darling

[the_moonmoth]

In my last post I mentioned killing one of my darlings to move my current fanfic project forward and a couple of people interpreted that... not how I'd intended. I have no particular training or education in literature, and I only came across this quote for the first time a couple of years ago, so I have no idea what it's "supposed" to mean, but

Comments

[therck]

That's how I always took that bit of advice. How else are people interpreting it?

[the_moonmoth]

Literally killing a character off, I think. Which, given the fandom, I can understand why!

[therck]

Google attributes the original advice to William Faulkner. Stephen King seems to have repeated and rephrased it, but as far as I can tell, both were talking about sentences, paragraphs, scenes, tropes, and the like rather than about characters.

[herself_nyc]

Correct.

[velvetwhip]

I have so many discarded fic fragments... I feel your pain.

Gabrielle

[the_moonmoth]

The pain is real!

[enigmaticblues]

Oh, man, that's some of the best writing advice I've ever received, and I have a couple of fics where I can tell that I did not do that, and they suffered for it.

It is a really great paragraph. I can't blame you for wanting to keep it.

[the_moonmoth]

Yeah, we live and learn. Or write and learn, I guess ;) And I always find it easier to see when another author is contorting themselves around a precious idea than when it's me doing it :-/ But I think I'm getting a little bit better, or at least getting better at listening to me betas!

[torrilin]

Yeah, that's what I figured you meant.

That is really pretty, and maybe it will sprout a plot later for something else. I certainly wouldn't complain :) Tho I'd think we're supposed to get more Dawn POV later to tie things up neatly, so maybe it winds up elsewhere than where you thought it would go too. Dunno. Or maybe it grows a sequel where we get to see how Dawn and mom and dad save the world, for I have not forgotten the whole thing started with Dawn refusing to die in an apocalypse :P. Don't care. You'll find a use for the pretty somewhere.

[the_moonmoth]

Well I always save my discarded material, so it might see the light of day down the road, but probably not in this particular case. Sadly. I mean, Dawn is coming back, but I don't see the subject matter of this para surviving in its current form for the point in the story when she does pop up again.

for I have not forgotten the whole thing started with Dawn refusing to die in an apocalypse :P

Excellent :D Gold star for you. Though what you are imagining for a sequel will actually be in this fic, so... We'll see *mysterious eyebrow wiggle*

[torrilin]

Yup, I will see!

[snogged]

I know what it's like to discard a fic fragment that just doesn't work the way you hoped.

Kudos on your Camp NaNo progress.

[the_moonmoth]

It's always sad :( But thank you! I'm super pleased with myself :D