Writing a novel isn’t easy. Sometimes, it can involve cutting out large pieces of wonderful writing just because, in the end, they don’t quite fit with the stories that novelists are trying to tell.
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch puts it this way: “Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it – whole-heartedly – and delete it before sending your manuscripts to press. Murder your darlings.”
Dead Darlings is devoted to celebrating the novel, from the process of creation through revision, promotion and publication. The authors, alumni from the Novel Incubator, have gathered to provide support for all novelists: aspiring, developing or successful. Writing is best when it has the support of a community, when novelists share their experiences.
The process of writing a novel can be at turns frustrating or exhilarating. It can induce hope or despair. It is, above all things, a very long haul. So pull up a chair and come murder some darlings with us.