Rewriting and Refactoring Have the Same Principle
Subject
ReWriting Principle: Kill Your Darlings
Mostly when I think of pacing, I go back to Elmore Leonard, who explained it so perfectly by saying he just left out the boring parts. This suggest cutting to speed the pace, and that’s what most of us end up having to do (kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings)...I got a scribbled comment that changed the way I rewrote my fiction once…
Similarity
Object
ReFactoring: Kill Your Darlings
In software design, when you find yourself feeling particularly proud of a neat little bit of design or code, stop and ask yourself how someone who didn't give birth to it will regard it. If it turns out to be overwrought or too slick for the need, you should probably kill your darling and replace it with an ordinary solution that others can actually use, and not just marvel at. Darlings are sometimes characterized…
Why they relate
Being willing to cut your favorite passages and your favorite programming solutions are an important part of both rewriting prose and refactoring code.