When Cutting a Scene Feels Like Cutting Out Your Heart

Dramatic, I know. But hey, I’m a writer—it comes with the territory.

If you hang around film sets long enough, you’ll pick up the lingo. Some terms everyone knows—“Quiet on set,” “Action,” “In the can.” Others are insider shorthand: 10-1 means bathroom break, C-47 is just a clothespin and the Abby Singer is the second-to-last shot of the day.

Then there’s a phrase that gets tossed around in writers’ rooms: “Kill your darlings.” Or if you want to be extra brutal, “Kill your babies.” It means letting go of a scene you love—one that might be beautifully written, perfectly acted—but doesn’t serve the story. And yes, it hurts.

My Darling That Didn’t Make the Cut

In Maya & Her Lover, I had a handful of scenes that I really loved and wanted to make fit. One in particular nearly was really hard to let go. But when I watched the cut without it, I knew the film was stronger.

Here’s the setup:

• Characters: Maya (grey t-shirt), Kaseem (burgundy/black striped shirt), and Tracy (blue shirt, afro puff).

• Action: Maya and Tracy are enjoying macaroons at a coffeehouse when Kaseem shows up and flirts with Maya. Then a sexy, all-natural woman walks by. Kaseem gets distracted, confusing Maya and Tracy—was he into Maya or not? He follows up by saying he loves a natural woman. That line was supposed to reveal something about his character and foreshadow Maya’s extreme style shift later in the film when she and Kaseem start dating.

Sounds good on paper, right? Before I tell you why it didn’t work - check out the scene:  

Here's why it didn't work:

1. Blocking Was Off

I originally wrote it for a busy coffeehouse interior. Maya and Tracy at one table, Kaseem at another, the sexy woman walking between them—it should’ve felt very Brooklyn and very alive. But because of location limits, we had to shot it outside. The energy of a crowded café was gone and the impact was definitely blunted.

2. The “Sexy Woman” Beat Fell Flat

We cast a crew member, but without having the time or resources to the provide the right wardrobe, hair, or styling, so she didn’t read as the larger-than-life presence I wanted. She’s gorgeous, yes, but I envisioned a big, bold curly afro’d woman that would stop everyone in their tracks. Without that, the whole moment went flat.

3. Foreshadowing Didn’t Land

On top of that, production constraints meant we never got to fully explore Maya’s look transformation later in the film. Kaseem’s “natural woman” comment wasn’t foreshadowing anything. It just… sat there.

The Hard Truth

I re-cut that scene multiple times, tried sliding it into different spots on the timeline, anything to save it. But the beat never worked. As much as I loved the idea, it dragged the story instead of serving it.

And so—I killed my darling. 💔

The result? The film flowed so much better. Leaner and more honest to the story I was really telling.

And that’s the lesson people: sometimes the bravest thing you can do for your film is let go of the thing you love most.