Killing Off My Darlings

I didn’t know that I would get so incredibly attached to my writing. 

In Jane Austen Regrets, Jane comments how she is worried about sending her books out into public scrutiny because she sees them has her kids. She doesn't want people to dislike them and criticise them. I never really understood what she meant but now I reckon that I’m getting closer to.

I’ve been working on my story for about six months now. I’ve thought a lot about it. Prayed about it. Agonised over wording, scenes, characters and dialogue. I’ve gotten really protective of my story and the characters within it. It feels like they are coming into focus, that they are more than just characters in a story.

I don’t mind people giving me constructive criticism and maybe if someone had said, ‘You need to cut that,’ it would be easier than having to make the decision myself of what needs to be cut. It’s heart rending to delete paragraph after paragraph of words. It’s like they were never there.

But I’ve got to be brave. I’ve got to be willing to sacrifice the mediocre to get to the rich core of what I’m trying to communicate. Hopefully my writing will be all the better for it.

Hopefully it will end up being a beautiful picture, something that people will want to look at again and again.