I’ve been doing some edits for my first Keela story (a twist on the old mermaid legends) and I’m reminded of some editing advice I’ve recieved. . .

Advice #1: Trim, cut, and trim some more.  If it doesn’t hurt to take it out, if you can stomach the thought of cutting it, out it goes.

Advice #2: Kill your darlings.  Writers fall in love with certain little phrases, but they’re often out of context in the story.  If you can’t stand the thought of cutting it, that’s a sure sign you should.

Okay, very good advice.  The only problem?  If you scrupulously follow the above advice, you’ll soon be staring at a blank page.