It’s an oft-repeated quote to “murder your darlings” when it comes to editing. And, apparently, I like nothing more than to follow directions.

I’ve murdered over 12,000 of the little suckers, and am printing out the bedraggled result so I can try to tie everything together.

Wish me luck. And alcohol.

Here’s one bit I left in:

She fell into Alasdair’s arms.

It was not an elegant rescue, the kind where the noble prince gathers the humble milkmaid gently in his arms and consecrates the moment with a kiss. Her elbow landed smartly on his head, his arm muscles stretched and protested under her weight, and for a moment he was convinced they were both going to end up in a heap on the sawdust-strewn wood floor.

He staggered, sliding her down his body until her feet touched the floor and she was able to stand on her own. He reached up to rub the sore spot on his head, and then clasped her by the arm to keep her from falling over. “Are you all right?”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 4:21 pm and is filed under That Subtle Knot. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.