Most writers are familiar with three words made famous by novelist Stephen King: “Kill your darlings.”
Why am I telling you this? Because it directly relates to what Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump are trying to do with the federal government.
King’s writing advice isn’t as violent as it sounds. He’s speaking of the well-known concept that when it comes to words, less is more. Brevity is better. Yet, that forces writers to take a hard look at their own creation. Once something is on paper (or the computer screen) it becomes hard to “kill” it. It’s yours, after all.
The same holds true of the federal government, which Musk and Trump are working to downsize and make more efficient through DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency). The government employs more than 2 million civilians and has operated roughly the same way for decades.
