The A-Z of Content Writing: K is for Kill Your Darlings.

Sometime in 2016, I stumbled upon the novel Fine Boy by Eghosa Imasuen. I probably got it from the Milksi-painted bookshop at Wire Road. I read it in a heartbeat and proceeded to do something that I wouldn't normally do.

I contacted the author.

Now, I wrote a lot of things in that email, but the meat of it was that I wanted him to be my mentor. With little to no chance of getting a response, I went about my undergraduate business.

But much to my surprise, I got a response only a few hours later, that same day.

And no, he didn't take me on as a mentee.

He, however, still offered me something different.

The author sent me a list of resources to help me get started and among them was a 3-page article titled "Murder your Darlings."

As you may have probably guessed, it caught my eye and was my first stop.

The summary of the document was this:

Some cute sentences would distract your readers. A lot fancy words have no place in your copy. If it doesn't advance the message, cut it out.

Your copy can be short or long, conversational or professional, persuasive or entertaining, but in any case, EVERY word, sentence, paragraph, page, or anything else should serve the singular purpose of advancing your message.

I know how drastic this might seem but that's the whole point. Hence the term, kill your darlings.

The phrase KILL YOUR DARLINGS describes the decision to remove unnecessary elements (words, sentences, character)—that you may have worked hard to create and have come to love—from your copy for the sake of your overall message.

See:

As a writer, it's normal and almost inevitable to fall in love with words, especially your own. A few fancy words later and some clever turns of phrase later, you get a copy that excites you. You sit back and beam like a proud parent.

This is good and even cute but there is just one problem with it, you are not the TARGET AUDIENCE. It's okay to indulge your excitement as long as it ends with your first draft.

By the time you are editing and proofreading, you must "harden your heart, sharpen your ax, and murder your darlings." No exception.

That said, as much as I'd like to point you to what to cut off, it won't help if all you do is memorise my dos and dont's. This is one skill that works better if it's coming from intuition rather than consciousness.

To put it simply, YOU NEED TO PRACTICE EVERY DAY AND DEVELOPE AN EYE FOR CUTTING OFF USELESS BITS.

Now, you should know that there is no universal technique for killing your darlings. But here are some things that can help.

• Don't edit as you write. This gives you enough room to get everything (useful and useless) down and ensures you don't miss anything during editing.
• After you finish your first draft, let some time pass before you begin editing. If you are not on a tight schedule, let enough time pass.
• Read your draft aloud and listen to yourself. This technique forces your mind to see things fresh approach.
• Edit as many times as you think is necessary and remove EVERYTHING that's useless to your message.
• Get a second opinion. If you don't have an editor or can't afford one, find someone (anyone) who can help. Even if it's your ex.

I understand the temptation to want to use as many words as you can find especially in an industry that pays many writers per word. You, however, need to hold yourself and your writing to the strictest standard of excellence.

Trust me, it's a gift only you can give yourself.

Until next week,

Love, Osamu.

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Osamu Ekhator is a?Content Marketer. For the last 8 years, he has worked with individuals, small businesses, and companies in several industries throughout the world to produce copies that Boost engagement and increase sales.

Contact him?here?or at [[email protected]] for collaboration and consultation.