Kill Your Darlings
Last week we discussed the ten commandments of writing. This week we’ll move on to another topic inspired by Mr. King with his phrase “Kill Your Darlings”.
Imagine you’re finished. Finally finished. You’ve typed “The End” on the last page of the novel you’ve been working on for the last year. You’re elated. After all of your hard work it is finally done. Now you can begin shopping it around to agents and publishers right? Well… yes. Sort of.
“Sort of?” you ask.
“You still have work to do on it.”
“Such as?” you ask.
“It is time to cut it up into tiny pieces and bury them in the garden….”
You scream at the horror of it. Cut up your 1000 page manuscript? But every word means something. Every scene matters. How can I suggest such an evil act as manuscript murder?
Ok. So that’s a little dramatic. But the truth of the matter is, your work isn’t done with the final page. That was your first draft. It is time to let your wonderful work sit for a few weeks to collect dust while you move on to other things. You can start your next book, mow your lawn, sharpen your shredder…
How many is a few weeks, you wonder? At least two should work. A month is good also. I know your eager to put the second draft behind you so you can sell it to a happy agent. Trust me. The wait is necessary. Time cuts the umbilical chord so that you can look at it with fresh eyes. A good rule of thumb is this equation (second only to e=mc2):
2nd draft = 1st draft - 10%
Re-read your manuscript as if you weren’t the author. You love that scene where Aunt Mildred runs naked through the streets of Soho? Was it really necessary? Did it move the story along? No? Cut it. Save it for another story. Perhaps Aunt Mildred’s love for streaking will pay off another day and in another story.
Believe me. When all is said and done you and your manuscript will both be much happier for it.
Related Posts
- The Ten Commandments of Writing - Part 1
- The Ten Commandments of Writing - Part 2
- Your First Draft is a New Lawn
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Comments
You’ll always find something to edit every time you look at it. That’s the nature of the beast. My method is to let it sit for 2-3 weeks. Then I’ll edit it for content, spelling/grammatical errors, continuity, etc. This process takes a couple of weeks. My next step is to give it to two friends whom I trust and who are great editors. There are people out there who provide this service for a premium but I’ve been lucky to have a couple friends who are great at it.
Long story short. At some point you must tell yourself it’s as good as it will get and then start shopping it around. I guarantee you’ll always find something to change if you don’t and it will remain in perpetual editing mode. Yikes!
How do you know when you are finally finished? Every time I read a peice, I find something else to edit.
I hate when I think of something clever to say and can’t make a place for it in my story. URGH!