Kill your darlings, authorial voice, and writing as hobby or profession | William R. Hincy

You should kill your darlings. No, really. Well, maybe? Join us as we explore the writing axiom to “kill your darlings,” discuss what exactly is an authorial voice and how to foster one, and the pros and cons of treating your writing as a profession or a hobby (or to say another way, as a passion project, not a commerce one). Drink along with us, and be sure to answer our Final Round question.

Today’s drinking game: drink whenever we say “darlings!”

Bios:
“Some people run from their demons; others sit down and have cocktails with theirs.” William R. Hincy is a man who does and writes about the latter. Having become a writer after deciding it was the only sensible thing for a problem drinker to do, Hincy aspires to connect with readers by eschewing stock plots and generic formulas in favor of exploring characters who no longer create messes but have instead become the mess. This unflinching but empathetic eye and devil-may-care attitude helped him earn an American Fiction Award and be named a finalist for multiple International Book Awards for his anthology of short fiction, Without Expiration. His other full-length works include But the Ripping Apart, a novel about hoarding from whence the opening quote of this bio originates, and A Fire for Christmas, a satirical collection of stories set during the coronavirus pandemic (winner of the International Book Award and two American Fiction Awards). William R. Hincy now hosts the popular podcast Writers Drinking Whiskey and lives outside Los Angeles with his wife and kids, having found solace in the notion that the only things sacred are self and whiskey-winged interludes.
WDW Intro video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lev5KHRpc5s
Website: https://williamrhincy.com/
Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/William-R.-Hincy/author/B07ZYB5FHZ

Dario Ciriello is a professional author and editor as well as the founder of Panverse Publishing. His fiction includes Sutherland's Rules, a crime caper/thriller with a shimmer of the fantastic; Black Easter, a supernatural suspense novel which pits love against black magic and demonic possession on a remote, idyllic Greek island; and Free Verse and Other Stories, a collection of Dario's short science fiction work.
Dario’s 2011 nonfiction book, Aegean Dream, the bittersweet memoir of a year spent on the small Greek island of Skópelos (the real Mamma Mia! island), was an Amazon UK travel bestseller. The Fiction Writing Handbook: The Rebel Author’s Guide to Writing Beyond the Rules (Panverse, 2017) is his second nonfiction work.
In addition to writing, Dario, who lives in the Great Lakes Area, offers professional editing, copyediting, proofreading, and coaching services to indie authors.
Dario’s episode of WDW: https://youtu.be/fpDdxz5ChLM
Dario’s blog: dariospeaks.wordpress.com
Dario’s editing service: exactlyediting.com

Gabi Lorino is a writer, editor, and ukulele player. Her first book, A Magical Time Called Later, was inspired by several conversations with a disgruntled 38-year-old bridesmaid and came to her while she was washing dishes one night before Christmas 2015… hence the Christmas undertones. Her next project was the Made in L.A.: Stories Rooted in the City of Angels anthology, which was released at the 2018 L.A. Festival of Books. Since then, she has contributed short stories, edited content, copy edited, and proofread Made In LA anthologies, plus appeared at book events and online to market these books. Her upcoming book, Single in December, travels back in time to the Great Recession and follows a group of fun, cool, socially awkward friends through 2019. Gabi’s episode of WDW:
Gabi’s episode of WDW: https://youtu.be/vYMLY7frtjg
Gabi’s website: amazon.com/author/gabilorino

Jesse Darnay is a poet and novelist from Chicago. After many years spent in writing workshops at UCLA Extension, he earned his MA in English Literature from DePaul University. He is the author of The History of Now (2012) and is currently working on a new novel. He enjoys performing his Beat poetry at open mics.
Jesse’s episode of WDW: https://youtu.be/aI3viDwxa-w

Interested in being a guest? Have a great cocktail recipe and story to share? Fantastic! Contact WRH at contact@williamrhincy.com. We’re currently booking for special episodes and season 2.

Chapters:
00:00:00 Start
00:00:34 Introductions
00:07:47 Writing rule - kill your darlings
00:32:28 Authorial voice - what is it and how to foster it
01:02:09 Writing professionally versus as a hobby or passion project

Brought to you by Whiskey-Winged Lit
Fiction for the modern reader. Life is the accumulation of scars—tell the stories!

Here we go!