This morning at #4thStreetFantasy I had an idea about Kill Your Darlings. Let me see if it rings true for anyone else.
As many of us on Writing Twitter may know, Kill Your Darlings is an aphorism that has some value, but is easily interpreted in ways that can be harmful. (Like most aphorisms.) But why is this one so sticky?
I think it has to do with *casting the author in a heroic light*.
Heroism comes in many forms, but a key characteristic is self-sacrifice. Suffering for the good of others, whether by Fighting The Black Lord Voldauron or taking care of a messily sick child.
Killing Your Darlings comes with that exact framework. Sacrifice what you love! Suffer for your art! Your work is better because *you have sacrificed.*
Perhaps that’s part of why KYD has so much lasting appeal. It brings an element of Heroic Sacrifice to the writer’s life. And these narratives have so much draw, conscious and otherwise, for so many of us.
