A theatre artistic director once told me that I should pick my favourite line in my play - and get rid of it. He said that line would inevitably be the one that was the most self-consciously writerly, or clever for the sake of being clever, or poetic for the sake of being poetic. But it would also have nothing to do with the actual story. I'm not sure I agree with his advice, but it's something I always consider, as I read back over my pearls of wisdom...
