tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post5562069641433056048..comments2023-12-26T09:58:45.306-06:00Comments on Writer Musings: Dead Darlings?Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-23812867655971237132008-07-21T21:18:00.000-05:002008-07-21T21:18:00.000-05:00Hi Donna! Good to see you again. :)Pam is so rig...Hi Donna! Good to see you again. :)<BR/><BR/>Pam is so right. Sounds like it was an awesome workshop! Will you be blogging about it so we can all reap her wisdom? Pleeeeease? :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-85436208721558629662008-07-21T21:02:00.000-05:002008-07-21T21:02:00.000-05:00Pam Zollman (fab writer and former Highlights edit...Pam Zollman (fab writer and former Highlights editor) led a workshop for us a few months ago. Her advice?<BR/><BR/>HURT THE BUNNIES (i.e. your sweet little characters that have nothing wrong with them and all is right in their world, etc...)<BR/><BR/>It's harsh - but I think it's worth doing. You don't have to kill 'em - maybe just maim 'em a little. (okay, so that didn't sound good - but you know what I mean!)<BR/><BR/>Hugs,<BR/>DonnaWrite2ignitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17266315375662322726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-20278859886247792752008-07-21T13:04:00.000-05:002008-07-21T13:04:00.000-05:00Another good name! This one fits me well, since o...Another good name! This one fits me well, since outtakes are usually embarassing moments...and I'm mostly embarrassed about what ends up in my extra files. :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-15172257679704991292008-07-21T07:39:00.000-05:002008-07-21T07:39:00.000-05:00I can't kill them. I have a file for each book th...I can't kill them. I have a file for each book that I call "Outtakes" and I keep the chunks in there. I don't often look at them again, but I've gone back in and used something elsewhere, on occasion.<BR/><BR/>If writing's really working for me, I see no sense in deleting it. I try to be more merciless on the passages that are amusing but unnecessary.Susan Sandmorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07164808807596808866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-51933529921918457552008-07-17T19:18:00.000-05:002008-07-17T19:18:00.000-05:00Ooo, what a great name! Makes a great visual. :)...Ooo, what a great name! Makes a great visual. :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-72609137073490712072008-07-17T16:42:00.000-05:002008-07-17T16:42:00.000-05:00I stick them in a file I call "the attic." As in ...I stick them in a file I call "the attic." As in a real attic, sometimes things stay there indefinitely. Once in a while, I bring something down from the attic.<BR/>And you're right--you don't kill something just because you like it; you kill it in spite of how much you like it because it doesn't belong.Jennifer R. Hubbardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03408588432492354248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-21590809111505865912008-07-17T09:26:00.000-05:002008-07-17T09:26:00.000-05:00LOL!! I've also got boxes containing the stuff yo...LOL!! I've also got boxes containing the stuff you've mentioned...not that it should surprise you. I guess once a packrat, always a packrat. :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-48412663366282598182008-07-17T08:44:00.000-05:002008-07-17T08:44:00.000-05:00Tabitha -- I have a whole trunkload of my kids' ba...Tabitha -- I have a whole trunkload of my kids' baby clothes. I have a worn-out quilt my great grandmother made in Kentucky about a hundred years ago, and whole boxloads of my kids' school- and art-work from Japan. And believe me, that is just for starters!<BR/><BR/>But I'm thrilled to meet a fellow packrat. And by the way, that was what my mother called ME, too.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-44227981997525171012008-07-16T21:18:00.000-05:002008-07-16T21:18:00.000-05:00Mary - Hello, fellow packrat! That was my mom's n...Mary - Hello, fellow packrat! That was my mom's nickname for me growing up. :) But I just don't see the need for permanently getting rid of something, because you just never know if you might need it! :)<BR/><BR/>Beth - I'm glad there's someone out there who can get rid of something useless with no remorse! Sometimes I wish I could do that...but I have to have things done in stages. *sigh*Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-14729766758684515252008-07-16T20:21:00.000-05:002008-07-16T20:21:00.000-05:00I slaughter mercilessly. I save over my files and...I slaughter mercilessly. I save over my files and just kill them all off :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11431700962951592287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-64030041397887955742008-07-16T17:47:00.000-05:002008-07-16T17:47:00.000-05:00I am a word packrat. So when I want to take out wh...I am a word packrat. So when I want to take out what I've come to see is 'filler', what I do is tell myself that I know that it happened, but the reader doesn't have to. This comforts me somehow; it's as though the piece of writing is still there, but visible only to yourself, the writer, so it won't bore or irritate the reader.<BR/><BR/>I've finally finished (for the 8th time) a novel I've written for adults, and I've taken out whole passages -- pages, in some cases. It was pure agony, but when I go back to reread, it is almost always better.<BR/><BR/>And I agree with you about killing the scenes you love the most. That's overkill and I can't see the point. I keep all my old versions of stories in one big file, but I seldom go back to read them. Some day, when I've forgotten all about them, I can quietly delete...Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-42032081345748025082008-07-16T17:46:00.000-05:002008-07-16T17:46:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-69129137156901070042008-07-14T21:12:00.000-05:002008-07-14T21:12:00.000-05:00PJ - so true that time is wonderful for creating a...PJ - so true that time is wonderful for creating a good story! Writing is definitely not for the impatient. Without that, how can we be sure we've created the best possible story we can?Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-63015583393402000362008-07-14T21:07:00.001-05:002008-07-14T21:07:00.001-05:00I'm glad you're enjoying my blog so far! Hope I c...I'm glad you're enjoying my blog so far! Hope I can keep it up. :)<BR/><BR/>"It has to be about the story and not about you as a writer."<BR/>SO true. Just like the writing, the author must melt into the background and let the story take over. After all, people aren't reading the book to get to know the author. They just want a good story. :)<BR/><BR/>I think dedicated writers get this, but fame-seeking-wanna-be's have a harder time making the distiction. Shame, really.Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-34296610705602692372008-07-14T21:07:00.000-05:002008-07-14T21:07:00.000-05:00I agree kill is a bit harsh of a word. The key, li...I agree kill is a bit harsh of a word. The key, like you said, is to look objectively. And time helps with that. after I finish revising next time, I'm stuffing it in a virtual drawer for some number of months before peeking again.PJ Hooverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02602205868934777662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-10140612495121190362008-07-14T20:29:00.000-05:002008-07-14T20:29:00.000-05:00More great information and advice. I think I've li...More great information and advice. I think I've linked to every post you've done since I found your blog!<BR/><BR/>It has to be about the story and not about you as a writer. I think in the best cases a great piece of writing is even better because of the context of the story. It's those darlings that you can treasure forever.Kerryn Angellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05107186121152495872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-77548512503681077702008-07-14T13:39:00.000-05:002008-07-14T13:39:00.000-05:00Thanks. :) A "coma" sounds much less permanent t...Thanks. :) A "coma" sounds much less permanent than "kill," doesn't it? At least then, you can wake them up if you need to. :)<BR/><BR/>Good to hear from a fellow saver. :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-67767082904199396942008-07-14T11:00:00.000-05:002008-07-14T11:00:00.000-05:00I like your tag on Verla's: Instead of killing you...I like your tag on Verla's: Instead of killing your darlings, put them in a coma!<BR/><BR/>I also keep a file for my darling, excised portions; they might be useful later.Danette Haworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13220718895967380788noreply@blogger.com