The Art of Cutting -- Kill Your Darlings?

First of all, let's get a few things straight: "kill your darlings," doesn't mean murdering your favorite characters (like I thought it did). You can do that of course, but that's not what we're talking about today. It also doesn't mean "delete everything you love." It simply means that there are some passages or characters that you will love. You'll want them tattooed on your forehead so you can broadcast them to the world. But some of those won't fit into your story and will need to be taken out. 

Editing is a hard process to begin with, and getting rid of your favorite material is the worst bit. For example, when I changed the narrator of my current story, I had to get rid of a whole chapter (a short chapter, but a chapter nonetheless,) that I had already gotten multiple compliments on. I loved it, but it didn't fit anymore.

But, while reading Gail Carson Levine's Writing Magic, I found a solution. I made a new Google Doc (if you're not writing on Google Docs, you're really missing out,) and called it "Things I had to cut." I parked my "beautiful but useless" prose there. Now I can visit it whenever I like, along with countless other bits and pieces of writing I couldn't bear to part with.

So, don't kill your darlings, just move them to another Doc. But there's still the process of deciding what to move. With any prose you aren't sure about, ask yourself these questions:

~ Does it have a purpose? If it doesn't advance the plot, reveal character, convey the theme, accurately describe something, or give the reader crucial information (emphasis on crucial), then it has to go. No further discussion. You don't want useless words in your story, the same way you don't want a taxidermied duck taped to the windshield of your car. They serve no purpose, and get in the way.
Another way to reframe this question is: If I take this out, will I lose something important? Taking the taxidermied duck off your windshield improves your car, and taking wasted words out of your prose will improve your story. If you really like the duck, you na always put it in the trunk.

~ Did I say the same thing somewhere else? Redundancy in writing is a big no-no. If you already described your MC's hair as being blonde, you don't have to say it again. Your readers are smart; they can remember somebody's hair color without being reminded.If your description is vivid enough, it will stick with your reader and keep a clear image of that character in their heads. 

Also, don't have your characters review something they all already know.If they went over the plan to overthrow the evil overlord in Chapter Three, they don't need to go over it again in Chapter Seven. All you really need your character to say is, "Do you remember the plan?" If the plan was made clear in Chapter Three, readers will remember along with your characters.

~ Does it fit the story I wanted to tell? Sometimes your writing will take you in an unexpected direction: for instance, you might find that your MC has abandoned his goal of stealing back his lost fortune and become an intern at a shoe factory. That's great and all, but did you want him at that shoe factory? If the answer is no, cut it and begin again. You want him to find that fortune, don't you?

These are the questions I ask myself when I'm about to cut something. You may have read a different set of questions in the past. Maybe you've created your own. But give these a whirl and see if they make cutting easier, and your story better. And if they do, leave me a comment. If they don't, tell me what worked for you alternatively. This advice is just my humble opinion; don't take it as gospel.