Amy Silverberg in The Offing:
“Style, for example, is not — can never be — extraneous Ornament . . . and if you here require a practical rule of me, I will present you with this: ‘Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it — whole-heartedly — and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.’” — Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, “On the Art of Writing”
“[K]ill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.” — Stephen King, On Writing
1. Instead of killing your darlings, torture them until they compliment your writing.
2. Name your children after your darlings. This is your son, Description Of Ocean At Dawn, and your daughter, Gratuitous Sex Scene.
3. When the Inca Gods come back to rule the world, throw your darlings into a volcano to ensure a good crop. Let the Gods know you aren’t fucking scared of sacrificing your loved ones.
4. Take one of your darlings to a wedding as your plus one. Let it give a toast, which will be overly earnest and run long, of course. Remember this doesn’t mean you’re romantically involved with your darling. But maybe you are.
More here.