11/12/2025
Here is another Thursday Writing Tip from Clifford Evan, author of A Death Never Lived:
Don't be afraid to kill your darlings.
"I’m paraphrasing here, but I’m pretty sure it was William Faulkner who said something along these lines. As writers, we’re easily enamored with our own brilliance, the sudden burst of our genius, the impromptu beauty we’ve brought to the world that wasn’t there before. Of course it should remain in print for all eternity!
If only.
In BIRD BY BIRD, Anne Lamott writes lovingly of “Sh*tty First Drafts,” the place where we, as writers can let it all hang out, without care, without judgment, without an editor (ourselves or someone else) hanging over our shoulder, telling us what’s good or not good. It’s our sandbox, our playroom, our laboratory. The place where everything is both a darling and an ugly duckling.
Because then the next draft comes and that darling of a sentence, or paragraph, or entire page, may still beautiful, but has no place whatsoever in what you’re writing. And that ugly little duckling of a passage is actually perfect, and with a little bit of love, will bloom into a gorgeous swan."
You can learn more about Cliff and his book at
https://cliffordevan.com/
