The Darling Dilemma: Jo Salazar’s Guide to Tough Cuts

Send us a text

Editing—every writer’s necessary evil. In this episode of Writing and Killing Unicorns, I sit down with author Jo Salazar to discuss one of the most painful and crucial parts of the writing process: killing your darlings. Whether it’s a beautifully written scene, a beloved character, or a line of dialogue that just doesn’t fit, knowing when to cut and how to do it can make or break a story.

Jo shares her own experiences with tough edits, offering insight into how to recognize what’s holding your story back and how to push forward without losing its heart. Along the way, she and I also dive into writing outside our comfort zones, crafting characters whose experiences differ from our own, and the art of balancing creativity with discipline.

In this episode, we discuss:
📝 What killing your darlings really means and why it’s so difficult
✂️ The first time Jo had to make a tough cut and how it shaped her writing
🔍 How to identify darlings that need to go—questions to ask yourself during edits
💔 The emotional side of editing and strategies for detaching from beloved scenes
📖 Writing characters with different lived experiences—how to approach it authentically
📌 The value of beta readers, editors, and outside feedback in shaping a story
🔄 Deciding whether to cut a scene entirely or rework it to fit the narrative
💡 Why keeping a scrap folder might save your favorite darlings for another story

And of course, I ask Jo: If she could interview any character from The Dead Weight, who would it be and what would she ask? (No spoilers, of course!)

If you’ve ever agonized over cutting a scene you love or struggled with making bold editorial choices, this episode is for you (and me, friend).

Episode Links & Resources:

📖 The Dead Weight by Jo Salazar – Amazon l goodreads

📌 Follow Jo Salazar – IG: @_jo_salazar_ 

Author Website: Jo Salazar

Remember: There are no shortcuts to writing. Only the craft.