As writers, we all write phrases, similes, or metaphors that we find irresistible.  We are in love with them.  However, when we have someone read our offering and they say those certain phrases we hold dear suck, well that’s when we realize that no one else likes our attempts at cute, humor, or brilliance. 

     In that case, we need to slaughter them.  (No, not the readers.)  We need to kill those phrases, similes, or metaphors the readers find that take them out of the story.  We must put our fingers on the delete key and get to work. 

     Yes, ouch.

     Then again, you may want to keep those babies of yours because you find them to be brilliant.  Remove them from the story anyway and store them elsewhere.  Weeks, months, maybe years down the road, you’ll go back, re-read them, wonder why you found them to be so fantastic, and then be willing to let them die a dignified death.

     We mustn’t fall so profoundly in love with our writing that we refuse to let our stories evolve. 

     I’m doing three different rewrites right now and you wouldn’t believe the carnage.