KILL YOUR DARLINGS
According to William Faulkner, “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.”
“Darlings” are favorite elements of the author, be they fragments, sentences, chapters, plot lines, or characters. But rather than being vital to the story, they’re bland or distracting.
Below is a “darling” I hated to delete from the last chapter of How Did I Get Here?
However, the chapter was too long and contained too much introspection (which usually induces sleepy nodding in the reader). So with a stiff upper lip, I gave the following the axe. Did I make the correct decision?
I had always viewed the fragments of my life as random intersections of time, place, and events. A roll of life’s dice.
Stumbling upon General Tropinin at that precise moment in life, the moment when I needed the exact help that he could offer, was a stroke of good luck that had never before visited me, and most likely, never would again. I regard it as a fluke, similar to sighting a shooting star. Not only does the person need to be outside at night, but he must be looking at the exact right spot at the exact right time. The sky must be cloudless in that spot. And, of course, there must be a falling star. All the forces of nature, coincidence, and good fortune have to be aligned.
“Darlings” are favorite elements of the author, be they fragments, sentences, chapters, plot lines, or characters. But rather than being vital to the story, they’re bland or distracting.
Below is a “darling” I hated to delete from the last chapter of How Did I Get Here?
However, the chapter was too long and contained too much introspection (which usually induces sleepy nodding in the reader). So with a stiff upper lip, I gave the following the axe. Did I make the correct decision?
I had always viewed the fragments of my life as random intersections of time, place, and events. A roll of life’s dice.
Stumbling upon General Tropinin at that precise moment in life, the moment when I needed the exact help that he could offer, was a stroke of good luck that had never before visited me, and most likely, never would again. I regard it as a fluke, similar to sighting a shooting star. Not only does the person need to be outside at night, but he must be looking at the exact right spot at the exact right time. The sky must be cloudless in that spot. And, of course, there must be a falling star. All the forces of nature, coincidence, and good fortune have to be aligned.
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Jane Marlow's Blog
My sincere hope is that you find my historical Russian novels to be both entertaining and informative.
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