Murder your darlings

“Murder your darlings” was a phrase supposedly coined by F Scott Fitzgerald. He believed that writers should always edit their "best bits” out of their work. Elmore Leonard said, “If I come across anything in my work that smacks of ‘good writing,’ I immediately strike it out.” Eliminate the precious, that of which you are most proud and upon which you have expended the most labor.
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It's a dark introduction to my first post in a week, n'est pas? My time away was great--lots of family jokes and stories, confessions, bleak realizations, congratulations. And, plenty of time to think. I feel like I've returned to a bit of a dark place. Figuring out what you want effectively closes off entree to other things you thought you wanted. I'm saying this to myself--and perhaps to you--as a reminder, a challenge, a warning.