Aka “Kill your darlings.” I don’t agree with this 100%, but if you’re having an impossible time getting a story into shape, check to see if there’s a sentence or passage that you’re completely attached to and are resistant to editing or deleting. Then get rid of it, and see what happens.
Also, having recently published a few short stories I can report that the sentences I was most blindly attached to were the ones that the editor wanted to strike out before printing. I hated the idea at first, but after listening to their logic, I had to admit they were right: The passage wasn’t doing anything for the story, I was just in love with it… and with my own perceived brilliance.
Just something to think about. Curious to hear other folks’ thoughts on this one!
Nikki Bradley 