"Kill your darlings" only applies if you're holding onto something that actually hurts your story. But jerks sometimes use "kill your darlings" as a weapon to try to break you. Don't wantonly kill what you love the most about your story. That's why you're writing it. Make it work.
Thank you for saying this. I DETEST that advice, as much for its violence as for its common misinterpretation. I've seen too many writers pre-edit themselves because of it, and then never finish the work.
