'Kill your babies.'

[CarlZog]

I took journalism in college and the professor was very specific that you should always “kill your darlings,” which means;

-Eliminate any words, phrases, quotes, etc. deemed to be funny, witty, cleaver,

-Eliminate any words, phrases, quotes, etc. you enjoy more than the rest of the test

-Do not use or employ any words, phrases, quotes, etc. you think of ahead of time,

In short, have no emotional attachment to the story or story telling process.

It's not so much about killing the babies as it is about just being willing to kill them if they're getting in the way. Be ruthless in your self-editing; if it sounds really cool, but contributes nothing to the piece, axe it.

At the first paper I worked for, I had many long battles with my editor over keeping or killing those beautiful little children I had worked so hard giving birth to.

On the other hand, journalism teaches AP style writing which is intended to be neutral and dry. I wouldn't suggest AP style rules for anyone doing fictional or enjoyable writing.

"AP style" is just a set of standards for abbreviation, capitalization, word usage, and reference to organizations and institutions commonly in the news. It is issued by the Associated Press to maintain clarity and consistency among the AP's member newspapers. It does not dictate narrative style, although, by its nature, it does encourage concise, unambiguous writing.

Carl

 

[Mercule]

My homebrew campaign setting is over 20 years old. I realized a couple of years ago that I have been lulled into stagnation by it. My current game is all about killing my babies. Every. Last. One.

The players have been warned that I am willing to never return to this setting, and therefore, I am willing to see a true Apocolypse that ends everything utterly. They've also been told that this ending is, in fact, on the table and is what will come to pass if they don't play their cards right. On the other hand, all the secrets I've kept for the past 20 years are also on the table.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Mercule: That sounds like loads of fun! Good luck with that campaign.

 

[SweeneyTodd]

I think it's important to note that "kill your darlings" doesn't just apply to NPCs -- it can apply to any area where player input is being subordinated to the GM's will. I would argue it's more about inclusion than exclusion.

I try to take this idea so far that my creative contributions as a GM are never more important than the things the players come up with. Once the players really grok that anything they wish to introduce will be taken as seriously as "the plot", I've found that they come up with ideas I like better than what I had thought of.

You know that feeling when the players come up with a theory so cool that you change the game to match it? We have that happen almost every session, and it's a blast. It certainly means I'm never bored, and it cuts down on prep time.

 

[Mercule]

Mercule: That sounds like loads of fun! Good luck with that campaign.

Thanks. I was a bit rusty, but things are really starting to come together. I actually want to build that "no holds barred" mentality with all my campaign from now on. Very liberating as a GM.

I think if my players were more into pushing boundaries (they're a bit conservative), it could be even more interesting.

 

[wingsandsword]

(E.g., If George Lucas had killed Padme in the middle of Episode II, we would've been really surprised, and might have actually lamented her death a little. If he'd killed Jar-Jar, we would have cheered.)

I kept waiting for this scene in Episode III, but it never came:

Jar-Jar: Mesa been worryin about yousa Ani, yousa been actin real bombad lately and mesa. .
*lightsaber ignites and cuts down Jar Jar*
Anakin: I've been wanting to do that for years. . .

If he'd done that on Coruscant before leaving for Mustafar, I would have stood up and cheered at the premier.

 

[RangerWickett]

Well, I had an important lesson today. Trust yourself. I was worried about a happy ending being cliched, that I wouldn't be able to have something meaningful if everything ended up alright in the end, so I went overboard and killed a character just to show that I wasn't afraid of doing it. But I should've trusted myself because, well, I know that few endings are completely happy, and that's why the ones hard-won are so precious.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

George R. Martin uses that "killing the babies" principal all the time in his "Song of Ice and Fire" series. Makes me hate him, lol.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Eating children is bad... Eating Kobold children is Survival (Wis)

Consider this bad boy .sigged!

As for the point of the thread, I'm kind of reminded of Forgotten Realms as the *ultimate* setting that did not take this advice to heart. It has babies, and nothing is allowed to jack with them. Elminster, Drizz'zt, the gods, etc., et al.

And then I'm reminded of my FR/Cthulu Apocalypse, and how awesome it was even though none of my players are FR nuts. For some reason, having the most powerful wizard in the world suddenly go completely insane as the laws of magic fundamentaly shift is badass.

 

[kanithardm]

Consider this bad boy .sigged!

I sigged it too.