Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it - whole-heartedly - and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of editing and letting go of cherished writing to enhance the overall quality of a work.
Arthur Quiller-Couch's quote, 'Murder your darlings,' serves as a reminder for writers to prioritize the overall coherence and quality of their work over attachment to individual portions of their writing. It suggests that sometimes, even the best-written passages may need to be cut if they do not serve the greater narrative, reinforcing the idea that clarity and effectiveness are paramount in written communication.
In practice
In a writing workshop, a facilitator discussed the importance of being critical about one's own work, referencing Quiller-Couch's advice.
Have confidence in your decisions. Make them expeditiously, and stay with them as long as you believe you are correct no matter what others say. However, when you conclude you were in error, do not hesitate to announce the error publicly and change course.
Pain in this life is not avoidable, but the pain we create avoiding pain is avoidable.
Estragon: I'm like that. Either I forget right away or I never forget.
Ideas not coupled with action never become bigger than the brain cells they occupied.
Well, I think we tried very hard not to be overconfident, because when you get overconfident, that's when something snaps up and bites you.
A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation.
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