Bye, Bye 11,380 Words

William Faulkner has famously said "Kill your darlings" when it comes to writing. This means, of course, to be ruthless with the delete key. Writers can sometimes fall in love with words, scenes, characters, turns of phrase. But if they don't serve the story, you must slaughter them.

To wit – I am about to delete 11,380 words from my current manuscript as I embark on the Great Revision of September 2010. This will be the first act of literary murder I commit while working with my current...