Killing Off Your Darlings

FACT!: When writing there will be inevitably a time when you must kill off one of your darlings. This should hopefully only happen during writing. If you are contemplating killing off one of your real life darlings, there are a few very good therapists in your area that you might want to consult.

In any case, killing off a darling is one of the hardest parts of writing, simply because that darling is called a darling for a reason. By snipping out that character, or that scene, or that funny joke about skiing or Death Valley, we are losing a loved one. The writing will inevitably become better, because there is always a motive when it comes to killing a darling. Maybe the line has no place, or the character doesn't accomplish much, or that setting is physically and mentally impossible. But this can still be a hard thing to take.

The simplest solution is to go the Mark Twain route and have them jump into a well.  As long as your story isn't about Lassie, your darling is as good as dead.  However, this is too hard for many writers.  In this case, it can help to create a graveyard document where all of your darlings may be buried alive, and then pulled out later to be relocated somewhere they can live without fear of assassination.

THE CHALLENGE!: In 300 words or less, kill a darling. Don't use a well.