Episode 281 - Using Relevance to Save Your Darlings with Liesel Hill

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Liesel Hill discusses USING RELEVANCE TO SAVE YOUR DARLINGS, including the importance of integrating emotional connection and subconscious storytelling to retain seemingly irrelevant scenes by making them essential. Topics include multi-tasking in scenes, pacing, evoking emotion, character arcs, purposeful character deaths, maintaining continuity in series, and avoiding unnecessary plot elements.
 
Liesel Hill is a USA Today best-selling author of 4 genres. She teaches authors to craft stories using the principles of energetics and transformational human psychology, and by tapping into one's individual subconscious creativity.

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Summary

This week on The Indy Author Podcast, Matty Dalrymple talks with Liesel Hill about the often-debated topic among writers: "killing your darlings." Liesel Hill is a USA Today best-selling author who provides a nuanced perspective on this longstanding writing guideline, challenging traditional notions while emphasizing the importance of emotional resonance and story relevance.
 
Matty opens the conversation by recounting how "kill your darlings" is often a “battle cry” for writers, suggesting that authors should remove scenes they are emotionally attached to if they are not advancing the story. Liesel Hill suggests a reevaluation of this advice, advocating that instead of merely discarding these scenes, authors should explore ways to integrate them effectively into their narrative. She argues that scenes dear to the writer often hold an emotional connection that can potentially engage the reader as well.
 
Liesel provides a perspective that involves tapping into one's subconscious creativity. By leveraging the subconscious, authors can generate scenes with intrinsic emotional value, which makes them worth preserving if they can be made relevant to the narrative. "If there's something that is lighting you up about the story that you really love," Liesel says, "there's no reason that the reader would not feel the same way."
 
The discussion also covers how determining the relevance of a scene is crucial. Liesel and Matty agree that scenes should be integral to the main conflict or character arc. Scenes offering a deep dive into character backgrounds or internal dialogue need careful consideration to ensure they serve the overarching plot. Liesel suggests that newer authors often fall into the trap of creating scenes that do not push the narrative forward, resulting in potential fluff that might need cutting.
 
A significant portion of the conversation revolves around multitasking in storytelling. Liesel and Matty both stress the importance of making scenes serve multiple purposes. By weaving several narrative threads into a single scene, authors can maintain pacing and deepen story complexity without overburdening the narrative. Liesel offers insights into maintaining pacing by ensuring that scenes do double duty—advancing the plot while developing character interactions or foreshadowing future events.
 
They delve into specific examples, such as the challenge of writing scenes that were the initial inspiration for a book but may no longer fit as the story evolves. Matty shares her personal struggle with deciding whether to keep or discard scenes that initially stirred her imagination, particularly those that no longer align with the book's direction. Liesel suggests that a high-level understanding of the story's structure can help authors anticipate potential misalignments before they become problematic, allowing them to better manage narrative flow.
 
The pair transitions to discussing character arcs, particularly in series novels where characters grow over time and influence one another's stories. Liesel discusses her approach in her own high fantasy series, which involves juggling multiple point-of-view characters. This approach can be daunting, requiring careful planning to ensure characters influence one another even if they are separated by the narrative distance.
 
Towards the end of the podcast, Matty and Liesel explore the concept of relevance and intentionality in character development. They discuss the pitfalls of keeping characters in a story without purpose, underscoring that every character should contribute to the narrative meaningfully or face "retirement" from the storyline—either metaphorically or literally. Liesel mentions that shock value alone is an insufficient reason to kill off a character, advocating that every significant action, including character deaths, should be deliberate and woven into the narrative fabric to justify its impact.
 
Finally, Liesel speaks to the importance of emotional storytelling and how authors can offer readers an emotional journey that results in catharsis. She suggests that emotion is the core of storytelling and what ultimately hooks readers, leading to a satisfying reading experience. Liesel emphasizes that authors who master this emotional connection will cultivate a dedicated readership. The conversation closes with encouraging authors to draw from their subconscious, allowing the wealth of their experiences and emotions to mold stories into engaging and cohesive narratives that resonate with readers.
 
Overall, this podcast episode provides nuanced insights for authors grappling with the idea of killing their darlings, suggesting that the real focus should be on relevance, emotional impact, and enriching the narrative tapestry. Liesel Hill's perspective offers a refreshing take that could help writers preserve the heart of their stories while ensuring every element serves the greater narrative purpose.