Eight Lines I Cut From The Novel

A few months ago T.S. Bazelli recommended I compile and share the darlings I cut from my novel. For decades heartless nimrods have recommended authors "kill your darlings." Blogging gives us a little leeway, though, in sending them off to a farm where there are lots of other quotes and space to run and play all day. Below I present to you nine things I regret axing from my current manuscript.

1. Our narrator, on scenery:

“His cell cast dark around him. He sat on the cot,

trouser cuffs rolled up as though dangling his feet in a pond.

It was a nice day in Zhanjee’s imagination.”

2. Our architect, on a place you can't understand:

“The astral plane is ideal. An ideal plane.

A natal plane is more the idea of a plane. An idea plane.

Very stripped down.”

3. Our hero, on deception:

"What's the point of lying if it doesn't make my life better?"

4. A succubus, on humans:

“My sister fancies you. She’s the youngest and
doesn’t understand yet that what looks
like personality is just flavoring.”

5. Humans on the succubae:

“They’re not whores.

Whores do good work for good money.”

6. Our narrator, again, on opportunity:

“The monsters didn’t pay him attention,
and he appreciated that.

It gave him time to worry without being seen as worrying.”

7. Our hero, again, on nightmarish beasts:

“Were there barking blue chickens in general population,

or is that food?”

8. Unknown, delivering the hardest of the cut lines, because you could argue it's the central theme of the whole book:

“Living up to my lies has made me a better person.”

There are my eight darlings, lying on the chopping block. I don't have the heart to admit the full chapters and subplots that were axed along the way - yet, anyway. Please feel free to share some of your own murdered darlings in the Comments.