The Big Announcement: Murder Your Darlings

Gentle Reader,

On Friday, I promised you a Big Announcement. I may have even claimed it was Exciting. (I don’t think I went as far to say it was Bigger Than Texas, but who knows? Only time will tell.)

Well, Gentle Reader, your patience has been rewarded: Today is the launch of the new Steam&Ink project, Murder Your Darlings.

What is Murder Your Darlings?

It’s all about becoming a better writer.

As writers, we tend to see our creations as our babies. Like good parents, we can be fiercely protective of them, and quite blind to their faults. But without seeing the faults of our own writing, it’s impossible to improve. That’s why the author Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch advised writers to “murder your darlings”.

I’ve created the Murder Your Darlings blog as a tool for both advanced and beginner writers. I’m encouraging writers to dig out their first manuscript – you know the one, it’s gathering dust in the closet of the spare room – and to submit a few hundred words from the novel, along with their comments. The author’s comments can cover any of the following:

• What worked in the piece;
• What didn’t work in the piece;
• Technical errors, such as spelling, punctuation and grammar faults;
• Craft errors, such as too much telling or confusing dialogue; and
• If the author is feeling particularly energetic (!), a rewrite to reflect how the author would create the same piece today

I'm hoping this will become a valuable tool for writers, both new and experienced. If you are a writer, published or unpublished, I would love you to contribute. Instructions on how to contribute are on the blog.