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It doesn’t matter if you write fiction or nonfiction: sooner or later an editor will ask you to cut the words out of your manuscript or article. It could be due to space limitations (like in a newspaper or magazine) or simply because the prose is bloated.
Often times, particularly in fiction, it’s not about numbers – suggested edits have more to do with improving narrative language than reducing word counts.
So how can you reduce the length without changing the meaning (or art) of your words?
Consider cutting the following from your manuscript:
1. Words that don’t add anything significant.
“That”, “fair” and “very” can almost always be removed from your work. You can argue that a woman is “very pretty”, but I will tell you that she is beautiful. See the difference?
Mark Twain suggests that writers, “Replace ‘damn’ whenever you feel inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will remove it and the writing will be as it should be.”
Some common words to consider deletion are: approximately, actually, almost, almost, like, appears, approximately, basically, near, even, eventually, exactly, finally, generally, only, right then, something like , almost, practically, really, it seems, just, somehow, something, a kind of, sudden, total, true, absolute, very,
(Also: do you notice how imprecise these words are?)
2. Redundant expressions.
Redundant expressions are groups of words (usually a pair) in which at least one word can be omitted and the meaning remains the same.
Some examples include: forever and ever (just say: forever), round trip (just say: travel), exact duplicate (just say: duplicate), or classmates (just say: classmates).
3. Pleonasms.
Pleonasms are a subset of redundancy, which specifically refers to using too many words to get the point across.
Examples include: putting a glass on the table or sitting down (skip), entered the room (skip in), ink pen (skip ink), or additional accessories (skip extra).
Four. Clichés.
Clichés are worn expressions, once bright and shiny, which through excessive use (especially in conversation) have lost their luster. Most people use them in discussions because their meaning is easily understood. It is efficient to make a point using expressions known to many.
However, some editors feel that reliance on cliches indicates a “lazy” writer. Avoiding them could make a difference in posting.
Some common cliches are: for all intents and purposes, fit to be tied, beyond the call of duty, improvised, ugly as sin, on top of the world.
5. About explanation.
Unless you’re writing a news story or whitepaper where an explanation is required, skip it. For fiction, this means letting go of the unnecessary backstory.
6. Phrases that are not to the point.
Do not use: “started at”, “prepared for”, “started at” or any similar construct. “I ran” is more concrete and more succinct than “I started to run.”
7. Passive voice.
The passive voice is denoted by any form of the verb “to be” (was, were, is, that) together with a past participle, which implies that a subject has something done to him instead of performing the action itself.
Passive: the ball was thrown by the girl.
Active: The girl threw the ball.
8. Adverbs (especially those that end in “ly”) and adjectives.
Adverbs that end in ‘ly’ are often unnecessary. Adjectives are often overused. It is not uncommon to find two or three adjectives where one (or none) is better.
9. Purple prose and exaggerated anguish
Eliminate or cut passages that are too descriptive, including narrative that describes a character’s thoughts and / or feelings in too much detail, that is, too much internal dialogue.
10. Narrative that tells the reader what they already know.
Following even some of these examples will considerably toughen your prose. But remember, no matter how many words you cut, your editor will probably find more!