By All Means, "Kill Your Darlings"

Who came up with that phrase? Some say Faulker; others attribute it to Ginsberg, while those who believe the best bon mots sprouted from the fertile mind of Wilde give Oscar the credit. In the end, who thunk it first matters not. Stephen King espouses the advice and I must grudgingly agree.

It's one of the hardest things to learn when writing a first novel. Hindsight being 20/20, I'm pretty sure a few more heads should have rolled, but lesson noted.

So, please forgive me my darlings. The fault is totally mine.