How to Cut Your Novel--Five Steps

Your Manuscript Is...

--Way too long
--Contains too much filler
--Extremely wordy
--In dire need of cutting
--Overly descriptive
--Has unnecessary backstory
--Full of unneeded adjectives

Folks, this is normal. If you're a writer then you've definitely heard at least one of these statements before. Whether it's from a critique partner, literary agent, editor, or even your dear old mum; believe me when I say they are correct. This sort of revising is simply part of every writer's life. It's just something that has to be done. About a year ago literary agent Vickie Motter told me to cut 60k of my book (I know. I was way over the limit) and it was the best advice I ever received. She didn't have to tell me that. Initially she rejected my query. I politely asked for feedback and she promptly responded to my email. She took the time out to address the concerns of a young novice. Not all agents do that. It rarely happens, really. It took me a bit of time, but this five step process below really helped me clean up my manuscript. Check it out.

Step One: Consult the Experts
- Don't be afraid to raid your bookshelf. Pick up some of your favorite books you share the same genre with and skim through them. Discover why you adore the book so much. What is it about the characters, wording, premise, and so on that keeps your eyes glued to the pages. Simply jot down some notes regarding what those books contain that perhaps yours doesn't. It's very simple, this step, and I find it extremely helpful.

Step Two: Read, Read, Read
- Read over your own manuscript and MAKE NO CHANGES YET. Highlight possible problem areas. Make short notes in the review/side margin.

Step Three: *Rubs Palms* Now Down to the Nitty Gritty
-Look for adverbs, mainly those ending with "y" and determine whether they're necessary.
-Were, That, Was....believe me, most of the time you don't even need those words. Passive=Ugh.
-Watch out for too descriptive paragraphs. The sort readers tend to skip or skim.
-Get those unnecessary adjectives under control. They can turn a really good line into an annoying one and even confusing one.
-Backstory--I guarantee you, nobody likes it in a book...unless it's like totally awesome though.

Step Four: Tell the Readers Something they DON'T KNOW
-Writers tend to give information the reader already knows. This is extremely annoying.
-Characters' thoughts can get really annoying, especially when they are repetitive and ridiculously long. This goes for monologues as well. Those can get boring very fast. And most of the time I find them unnecessary. Show the reader a story; provide a clear picture. Don't just tell them a tale.
-Don't let dialogue go on and on and on and repeat the same old information "just to make sure the reader understands." Believe me...they get it. They got it the first time.

Step Five: Perhaps I Missed Something
-Repeat the above at least 3x before handing it out again. You want to make sure the person who told you to cut your novel sees a major difference. Give them a Book Hangover. ;-)

Be Your Own Worst Enemy AND Most Loyal Fan

As Writers we tend to down ourselves a tad too much for my liking. Don't believe me? Okay, let me tell you why...

We are totally our own worst enemy. And I suppose that is alright, but only to an extent. It's more important to be your most loyal fan ever. Considering how much commitment, time, organization, brainstorming, and just a crap load of energy we've invested in our work we should be the ones to love it the most because WE KNOW what it took to create such a thing. Am I right? Of course I'm right. I'm always right.

I don't believe there is anything wrong with accepting that your work needs improvement. Knowing that your character development could use some tweaking. Or realizing that you do a little too much telling rather than showing. Or that your dialogue doesn't flow smoothly. Heck, not everyone can grab ideas from their head and execute them on paper so easily. For some of us it takes a billion tries.

But in those billion tries just remember there is nothing wrong with being unsatisfied and wanting to fix problems (like the ones listed above), but there is definitely something wrong with being unsatisfied and wanting to give up the ghost or quit. Nuh uh, not cool my friends, not cool at all.

Let me give you an example. Us writers have a knack for strolling right on into Gloomy Grove whenever we receive harsh (but you know it's true) criticism or form/blunt rejections from literary agents, editors, or critique partners. I remember when my father's friend read my novel and days later he had a mouth full of feedback for me, both positive and negative. And I'm not going to lie...for a minute there he was no longer my favorite. I didn't think of him as a cool Uncle anymore because he was being way too honest with me (I mean he's ALWAYS way too honest with me to the point of embarrassment, but still!) and I didn't want to hear it. However...I NEEDED IT!

And that's what writers need to realize when facing rejections or criticism--you need the advice, silly! I didn't realize it so quickly though. After receiving rejections from agents, talking with editors, and getting feedback from critique partners and family/friends, this girl right here fell into some writer depression. Now every other aspect of my life was fine and dandy but I didn't even have the desire to look at my book. I just didn't want to face the inevitable...the dreaded revisions and edits and blah blah blah. That's right, she didn't want to do it. And when I say she, I mean me! At the time I didn't recognize it, but I was prolonging the completion of my novel. I was causing the growth of my writing career to become stagnant. It was me who was allowing a lack of confidence to weigh me down. And before I knew it...it'd been months before I took a peek at my manuscript. Bad, right? Yep, real bad.

Essentially what I'm attempting to explain to you is never be completely satisfied with your WIP (work in progress) because there is always room for improvement. Heck, even J.K. Rowling wishes she could rewrite the Harry Potter series! Blasphemy, I know! But, don't be so unsatisfied that you want to give up and quit the whole writing thing. Be a bit of an enemy and a loyal fan, yah get it? Hope so. And this isn't just for writing your novel, this can be with anything in your life. Stop allowing the monkey on your back (stress, life issues, setbacks, unfulfillment, etc.) to weigh you down. And good Lord, definitely don't let that monkey turn into a gorilla....or even worse KING KONG! Life isn't as serious as your mind wants your heart to believe.