That's not quite what I meant. I write a book straight through, without hopping around as the scenes pop into my head. So if I have a sentence or piece of dialogue I want to fit in later but not forget about in the interim, that's my way of remembering to use it.

Great points as always.

nine times out of ten, probably, if you think of a witty or picturesque turn of phrase so clever you want to write it down to include it later, it's one that shouldn't make it into the final draft.

Wh-wh-whyyy?

Well, now that I'm involved, I may as well start talking. I think the purpose of cutting is to make the manuscript better. It's not so much about cutting out our favorite lines as cutting out what needs to be cut for the improvement of the book.

However, and this is what kingjon meant I think, that also means a willingness to remove parts you're fond of for whatever reason. If something doesn't add to the message you want to convey, even if it's a phrase or description that you absolutely love, then it must come out.

Revision is the brutal and painful process of enhancement. It's like pruning a bush: painful but necessary.

Exactly. If you come up with something brilliant that doesn't fit the story, save it in a notebook for late until you can use it. Then, take the atomic-chainsaw and cut it from the draft.

I'm feeling confused. So you save it for later, and then cut it anyway?

It won't hurt you to write down gems when you think of them, and it won't hurt you to go into a scene hoping to work a certain element in. If that element captures the heart of what you want to convey, build on it! Some people build whole books around the tiniest nugget of inspiration, which could be a short witty line.

Saving "good" lines for other stories isn't necessarily a good idea. I've done it before, but it's led to my engineering conversations between characters, simply so I could show off my superior sense of wit, and that has led to my characters speaking in ways that are highly out of character.

When I hold onto an idea or some bit of story, it begins to mold, and things grow out of it. (disgusting illustration, but it works for my purposes )

An acquaintance of mine who's a writer likes to say that you shouldn't be in love with your own writing style. This seems like good advice to me!

I'm not quite sure what it means. My first thought upon reading it is that if I didn't love my writing style at least sometimes, I would write a whole lot less. Can you explain what you meant, cause I don't think I get it? .

Maybe it would be clearer if I said infatuated with your own writing style. He meant loving your style so much that you think it's just the best ever and are blind to all its faults. Obviously, you do have to love your style to some extent...but not be infatuated with it!