Worked hard this today to add 1500 words to WIP. Then stopped to go back and edit chapter three, four and five for my critique partner.
Net total after I chopped out the excess fat and sharpened up the Prose? 100 words. I literally did not move an inch down my manuscript.
The up-side is that I figure my editing must be good if I'm able to be that ruthless (and it deserves a chocolate). I also haven't completely lost those words. The majority have been put in a cut and paste file - they're foreshadowing and enlightenment that were in the wrong place at the wrong time. And I'll have better chapter(s) to put them in either for this book or a later one in the series.
Which brings me to the important points of this blog post:
1) Never just "delete" your words. If they're good writing that you feel sorry to cut, then put them into a separate file. They could be what you're looking for later, or they could give inspiration when it's what you desperately need.
2) Never be afraid to cut the fat out of your ms. It slows the story down (no matter how important it is!)
Hi Tyree - I so agree with you about deleting. I also copy and paste somewhere else. I'm also cutting out fat - mainly backstory - as the result of the great feedback I got from my entry in the GB contest. When I read over I was amazed at how much back story I'd included too early on - or even quite unnecessarily. It's all a journey of learning.
ReplyDeleteOoooh - it's sometimes difficult to recognise what's back story when the manuscript is so alive and relevant in your mind - good job Leigh!
ReplyDelete