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writercisesOriginal Posting Dec. 5, 2017
Writer's Digest, February 1994, had a two page article on pages 38 and 39 focusing on what to do when your editor says cut. "I want 25,000 words cut from your manuscript. When can I see a revision?" Yipes!
So, start out by separating thematic (content) and mechanical (text) editing. Then…
Thematic chops
1. Get into the story right away. In medias res? You know, get to the good stuff!
2. Chop character development. Secondary, minor – cut the lengthy characterization, but keep a essential action.
3. Pare character background. Will readers still know what's going on without this background? Will the plots suffer? Cut the extra.
4. Delete characters. Are there extra characters who don't play pivotal roles? Can you combine them with other characters?
5. Cut multiple motivations. If more than one motivation drives the same outcome, get rid of the extras.
6. Simplify atmosphere characters. Yes, waiters, taxi drivers and so forth are wonderful, but… Focus on the main guys.
7. Cut linking scenes. That walk along the river to get from one scene to another – use the movie camera cut, and just jump the transition.
8. Rely on the present. What's happening now is more important than the past. Get rid of the old.
9. Simplify writerly touches. Excess foreshadowing, contrasts, allusions, comparisons, imagery. Necessary description, but not purple prose.
10. Pare interrelated scenes. The same scene from different viewpoints, narrative scenes about a secondary storyline, try cutting it.
11. Cut action. If the dialogue is the most important part, cut down on the description of action.
12. Delete secondary storylines. Yes, they make the story richer – and longer!
Mechanical chops
1. Cut the "he saids" and "she thoughts." If there's only one or two characters, or they have unique styles, you may not need dialogue tags. Try it without them. The same for interior monologues -- we probably know who is thinking, right?
2. Line edit. Rephrase, rewrite, active tense.
3. Delete extra adjectives and adverbs.
All right? Start with the high level structural changes. Then get down to line-by-line tightening. See how many words you can take out!
Writer's Digest, February 1994, had a two page article on pages 38 and 39 focusing on what to do when your editor says cut. "I want 25,000 words cut from your manuscript. When can I see a revision?" Yipes!
So, start out by separating thematic (content) and mechanical (text) editing. Then…
Thematic chops
1. Get into the story right away. In medias res? You know, get to the good stuff!
2. Chop character development. Secondary, minor – cut the lengthy characterization, but keep a essential action.
3. Pare character background. Will readers still know what's going on without this background? Will the plots suffer? Cut the extra.
4. Delete characters. Are there extra characters who don't play pivotal roles? Can you combine them with other characters?
5. Cut multiple motivations. If more than one motivation drives the same outcome, get rid of the extras.
6. Simplify atmosphere characters. Yes, waiters, taxi drivers and so forth are wonderful, but… Focus on the main guys.
7. Cut linking scenes. That walk along the river to get from one scene to another – use the movie camera cut, and just jump the transition.
8. Rely on the present. What's happening now is more important than the past. Get rid of the old.
9. Simplify writerly touches. Excess foreshadowing, contrasts, allusions, comparisons, imagery. Necessary description, but not purple prose.
10. Pare interrelated scenes. The same scene from different viewpoints, narrative scenes about a secondary storyline, try cutting it.
11. Cut action. If the dialogue is the most important part, cut down on the description of action.
12. Delete secondary storylines. Yes, they make the story richer – and longer!
Mechanical chops
1. Cut the "he saids" and "she thoughts." If there's only one or two characters, or they have unique styles, you may not need dialogue tags. Try it without them. The same for interior monologues -- we probably know who is thinking, right?
2. Line edit. Rephrase, rewrite, active tense.
3. Delete extra adjectives and adverbs.
All right? Start with the high level structural changes. Then get down to line-by-line tightening. See how many words you can take out!