Editing Your Own Work, Part II
http://www.iabc.com/cwb/archive/2005/0905/workingwords.htm

Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz
Communication World Bulletin
2005

Abstract:

Someone once asked Lillian Hellman what was hardest about writing. "Killing your little darlings," she said. For a playwright, "the little darling" can be a favorite character or a hard-fought scene or a bit of sparkling dialogue—anything that, while dear to one's heart, doesn't contribute to the dominant theme. A similar challenge faces every writer, whether we work in the realm of reportage, marketing or employee communication.