Morganite Wrote:I've seen a version that goes more like "No matter how cool something is, if including it will make your story worse, then don't include it." Under this definition, what you're asking seems essentially impossible.
So it's more about being able to decide what makes a story actually worse?
DHBirr Wrote:"a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out." Following that strictly has always struck me as a recipe for bland writing.
We'd rather agree with you than with whomever Johnson's quoting. Maybe the quote makes more sense in context, although we can't prove it.
ECSNorway Wrote:The meaning I take from this is, don't get too attached to your own cleverness.
You're up to something there. A few concrete examples would help, though.
Jinx999 Wrote:You have to be objective about your writing and willing to prune harshly.
Yes, that's good advice... but the devil is in the details.
Star Ranger4 Wrote:the harsher you are to your protagonists, the more roadblocks they overcome along the way the more the readers cheer for them when they do. Assuming that you've been doing your job right and your readers are empathising with your protagonist.
That's good advice too, it just doesn't fit the topic.
@Acyl: Very good post. Yes, a good proofreader is worth a lot. The big question: Where to find that proofreader? Often, it's hard enough to find one author who has all the necessary knowledge for a certain story, let alone two. And then there's the question whether they can work together well.
robkelk Wrote:And it doesn't matter how good the writing is - if it's out of place in the story, it needs to go.
Let's assume for an example that I'm writing a side-story to a well-known fanfic. I've written a beautiful death scene - one that I'm sure would be praised for decades if I publish it. However, that fanfic is Nobody Dies, so a death scene - no matter how well-written - is completely out of place. Kill that darling, and let whoever I was going to kill off continue living in-story. (But keep that scene for a different story.)
See, that's a good example. (And we want to read this scene now.)