In short, it means to cut out any unnecessary writing. In
practice it’s revision on steroids.
The concept skyrockets beyond deleting filler words, unnecessary
adjectives, and unclear lines. To “murder your darlings” means to mercilessly slash
those gorgeously written passages and clever lines you love when they don’t
support the main idea, further the story, add to a character’s development, or
aid the readers’ understanding. In other words, if it's not serving a specific purpose, cut it out.
When you do that, something magical happens. A shiny pebble
emerges from the rubble, like an ancient gold coin beneath the archaeologist’s brush.
Eventually, an entire chest of doubloons is unearthed; hidden until all the dirt
and rocks are removed. Like an archaeologist, a writer must eliminate
everything that isn’t a necessary part of the main message or story.
When you cut away the excess, your message becomes clearer,
focused, and powerful because it’s not mixed in a cloud of extraneous stuff that
doesn’t support the overall message or story. Every detail, explanation, dialogue,
or description will add to or detract from your piece. There’s nothing in-between
- no neutral words, so to speak. If you want to show a character’s cheerful but
naïve personality, for example, don’t crowd the page with actions or speech
that doesn’t explicitly demonstrate that or appears to contradict it.
All this talk of cutting may leave one with the
misunderstanding that shorter is always better or that the goal is to be brief.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In one of the most used and iconic
books on writing, The Elements of Style, Strunk and White tell us that
it is not necessary to “make all sentences short or avoid all detail . . .”
but it requires “that every word tell.” That’s the key. Every word must count,
and the book’s slim 85 pages illustrate that point.
Thomas Jefferson took this concept a step further to say,
“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one
will do.” He’s referring to the gluttony of speech, while demonstrating the economy
of words within his own quote.
Often, however, less is truly more. In his book, On Writing, Stephen King shows the reader a passage from one of his novels in which he describes a restaurant/bar using only four details, but it’s enough. He admits he had tons of other details he excluded, writing that, “It will not behoove me (or you) to wander off into thickets of descriptions just because it would be easy to do.” In his opinion, “. . .it’s not about the setting, anyway – it’s about the story.” A perfect example of someone murdering their darlings in service of the story.
But let’s be honest, it’s hard to delete something you’ve
spent hours agonizing over – especially when it’s good. I have many perfect
comebacks, dazzling descriptions, and clever lines that didn’t further the plot
or add to my story. The best and hardest thing I’ve done is to cut
them out during the revision process. Truthfully, the more I do it, the easier
it becomes; though it’s never easy. I promise it will take your writing to the next
level.
So, pick up the sword of revision with gusto and
determination to slay the writing that impedes your work as Luke Skywalker clutched his light
saber to destroy the dark forces in his world. Good luck, my friends; and may
the force be with you.
If you liked “Part Four” in my “Best Writing Advice” series,
you may want to read or reread Parts One, Two, or Three. See the links below.
__________________
The Almighty B-I-T-CH https://sandinourshorts.blogspot.com/2025/08/best-writing-advice-part-three-almighty.html
Don’t Look Back! https://sandinourshorts.blogspot.com/2025/06/best-writing-advice-part-two-dont-look.html
The Three Rs – Read, Read, Read https://sandinourshorts.blogspot.com/2025/04/best-writing-advice-part-one-remember.html
Penny Hutson also has a short story in a new anthology Costal
Crimes 2 : Death Takes A Vacation available at https://wildsidepress.com/coastal-crimes-2-death-takes-a-holiday-paper/
from Wildside Press
