It’s a great line, paragraph, idea,
beautifully phrased with a surprising, arresting, new image.
But it just
doesn’t fit with the rest of the poem, story, piece.
It’s time to whip out your sharpest knife
and cut it out.
Huge sigh.
But your writing will be the better for it.
And all is not lost. Save it for another day and another piece of work.
I have an inspiration file of some of my
best homeless bits that I dip into every now and then to find ideas for new
poems and stories. I try challenging myself to start a piece with some such, or
write my way towards one, use it as an organizing principle or a piece of
dialogue. The possibilities are endless, just not where I first though to put
it.
Gone on, release your inner Medea and feel
the burn. It’s called catharsis.
