Killing My Darlings

Realized I should probably explain this reference from my last post.

I was at the LA Times Book Fair in 2005 and went to a panel where Susan Fletcher, author of "Eve Green", spoke. She mentioned that when writing, especially when rewriting, sometimes you have to "kill your darlings"--those words, lines, phrases, paragraphs that you love, but that just don't add anything to the story anymore.

Definitely the best piece of advice I ever got and one that has just stuck with me through all this.

By the way, really liked her book and recommend it.

Oops!

I just realized that my main character's name is only one letter off from my Great Aunt's full name. Not that that's a bad thing. She is dead. But since this is fiction, I don't really think her name can stay as it is. Was intentionally using a variation on a family last name, but the first name--Great Aunt's name--was completely random. Just liked it. The fact that this has been my character's name for about three months now, and that I'm just realizing the similarity, proves how slow I can be. Duh! Not going to worry too much about it now. Will let it go till rewrite. Probably will keep the first name, but will change or play around more with the last name.

On a more positive note, I think I've figured out how to rewrite my chapter one. My writing instructor and my class had some really good comments on my draft last week, but there was some question as to whether I needed my prologue to be separate from Chapter 1. So, I think I've found a way to move some of the material from the prologue into the chapter. Did have to "kill my darlings," but I think I've been able to save some of the spirit(?) of what was there before. Also, I think I've figure out how to get some more of the details that set up the story up front with the new opening. Admittedly, I'm only three pages into this new draft of chapter 1, but these three pages have been somewhat brutal, so I'm happy to be where I am.

General Hospital: Night Shift...I Take It Back

This show sucks, but I'm still sucked in. It seriously is a train wreck. The script, acting, editing, filming are utterly horrid. But I can't stop watching. Maybe out of a pathetic hope that it will get better (at this point my standards are so low, it wouldn't take much for that to happen); or out of a pathetic inability to just let go and move on. Who knows. Thank God there are only 3 episodes left, because my brain can only rot for so much longer.