"Kill Your Darlings" is a phrase would-be writers cough up to admonish an author for writing a passage they love that doesn't fit the story. I don't necessarily agree.
Good writing is ephemeral. If a paragraph or an entire scene sparks something that feels right, find a place for it. Rework it if necessary. Don't backspace and delete it. If, after careful inspection you find it doesn't belong, okay. Don't discard inspired writing because some anonymous person on the internet told you to.
Save everything until you don't. Trust your instincts. Sometimes we're so attuned to criticism we abandon our truth. The difference between a successful author and one who checks off "the rules" is originality.
Learn from advice. Absorb what feels right; discard what doesn't. Most of the internet posters dispensing advice have a zero rate of publishing success. Don't be fooled.
Be you.
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