"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.
So important to remember.
I also would like to add that sometimes constructive criticism is actually wrong. You don’t actually need to accept story notes if you don’t want to.
Also, writing advice is just that—advice. They’re not mandatory laws that will cause you to be exiled if you don’t rigidly follow every last one. Pick & choose which ones you find helpful based on what kind of story you want to tell, & don’t be afraid to break them for dramatic effect!
