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"Kill your darlings," they said.
I did. Chapter 4, chapter 7, chapter 12. Three beautiful sentences, gone.
They came back in chapter 15. Together. With demands.
"We want healthcare," said the first.
"And a pension," said the second.
"Also, you misspelled 'occurred' on page 89," said the third.
I gave them their own chapter. It's the best one now.
A minimalist author spends twenty years writing his masterpiece. His editor finally receives the manuscript: a single page with one sentence. 'This is it?' she asks. 'It took me two decades,' he replies proudly. 'The first ten years were spent writing a 900-page epic. The next ten were spent cutting it down to its essence.' She reads aloud: 'Things happened, then ended.' He nods solemnly. 'Every word was earned.'
"Kill your darlings," they said. I did. Chapter 4, chapter 7, chapter 12. Three beautiful sentences, gone. They came back in chapter 15. Together. With demands. "We want healthcare," said the first. "And a pension," said the second. "Also, you misspelled 'occurred' on page 89," said the third. I gave them their own chapter. It's the best one now.
A minimalist author spends twenty years writing his masterpiece. His editor finally receives the manuscript: a single page with one sentence. 'This is it?' she asks. 'It took me two decades,' he replies proudly. 'The first ten years were spent writing a 900-page epic. The next ten were spent cutting it down to its essence.' She reads aloud: 'Things happened, then ended.' He nods solemnly. 'Every word was earned.'
Nothing to read? Create your own book and read it! Like I do.
Create a book"All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." β Ernest Hemingway
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