Zombie Darlings

[TheLobster]

immanentize the eschaton

Should I do that before or after I leverage all my synergies?

 

[THBGato]

The point is, I have to cut it. I know I do. It's a long diversion, it adds almost nothing to the story, and right now it's weighing down my draft.

That wasn't the premise, though.

It was this premise I was disagreeing with. Or rather questioning. (Far be it for me to tell another writer what to include or not.) More in a kind of "are you certain you need to cut it?" way. Like, "all of it?"

 

[Djmac1031]

or do you find ways to repurpose them?

ive re-purposed several unfinished stories or chunks of writing that went nowhere to fit into other stories.

I very rarely delete any piece of writing even if its not a complete story and I have no idea what to do with it.

I wrote around 2, maybe 3 thousand words into one story that went nowhere, sat in it for over a year then realized with a few name changes it would fit almost perfectly into a current work in progress.

 

[crookedletter]

It was this premise I was disagreeing with. Or rather questioning. (Far be it for me to tell another writer what to include or not.) More in a kind of "are you certain you need to cut it?" way. Like, "all of it?"

Yeah, the idea was that the decision had already been made to cut it. I left it in for a long time, I felt stuck, the draft had drifted far from where I thought it should be. My current position is that that story is better without that diversion. Maybe I'll change my mind later, but right now I doubt it.

To keep it within the framework of the expression, I don't generally kill my darlings until I conclude that it's them or other darlings that are more dear to me. But even then I don't so unless I'm sure they have to go. But some, always, have to go.

 

[crookedletter]

I wrote around 2, maybe 3 thousand words into one story that went nowhere, sat in it for over a year then realized with a few name changes it would fit almost perfectly into a current work in progress.

I enjoy that process. I have a novel in progress that's basically a frankenstein of those sorts of fragment.

 

[StillStunned]

But the scene ended up sort of writing itself, and I let it. I knew even as I was writing it that it didn't really fit within the narrative arc of my story. But I enjoyed writing it, and I think it turned out pretty good. It's long, for what it is: from stepping into the spa to the post-payoff haze is over 3500 words.

The point is, I have to cut it. I know I do. It's a long diversion, it adds almost nothing to the story, and right now it's weighing down my draft.

Alternative solution: *make* it add to the story. Not necessarily a plot element, but something thematic, or some foreshadowing, or something like that. Give your character an "aha!" moment, or have them reflect on the spa later on in the story.

That's the kind of stuff that gives a story depth, by tying separate parts together. Your readers never have to know that it didn't start out that way.