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My writing teacher told me to 'kill my darlings' and I finally get it
My creative writing professor at community college said that phrase all the time, but I never listened. For a story I wrote last month, I had a 500-word opening about a character's childhood that I loved. I cut it down to fifty words on a hunch and sent it out. Just got an acceptance email from a small online magazine. What's a piece of writing advice you got that seemed wrong at first but worked out?
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tarashah7mo ago
Totally feel that! My editor kept telling me to "write drunk, edit sober" which sounded ridiculous, but it actually helped me get my first draft out without overthinking.
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reesec187mo ago
Ugh, I have to totally disagree with that advice. It sounds like a cute saying but it sets people up for a huge mess. @tarashah, that first draft is going to be so much harder to fix if you just throw any words on the page. You need some clear thinking from the start, or you're just creating more work for yourself later. A little planning saves a ton of editing time.
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luna756mo ago
My messy first drafts always need at least three full rewrites anyway.
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