Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Chop & Change

Not only am I in love with the new Twilight: Eclipse soundtrack, but the title of this song fits all to well with this stage of my writing journey.

Under the strong suggestion of my editor, I’ve decided to whack my 116,000 Word MS down to a nice, nonthreatening, 100K. *I know my fellow writers are gasping at the knot growing in your stomach* I had the same reaction at first, but I think I’ve found a painless way to go about it.

40WPP (40 Words, or roughly 2 sentences per page)

I re-read my draft, after about a two week breather, with fresh eyes, I started going page by page looking for words or sentences’ that I could remove while maintaining the tone and clarity of the story. It’s been working out well so far, and I’m already down 4,000 words. Man if only my diet could go so smoothly.

I’ll also be evaluating dialogue where I know I’ve gotten carried away. Once the characters get to talking, who am I to shut them up?



1 comment:

  1. Hi, Tetonia! Sorry it took me so long to follow your blog. I'm trying to keep up with bloggers and blogging while revising my ms (among other things) but I finally made it.
    It's amazing what a break from your story can do. I always find so much more to add/delete after a brief hiatus and renewed vision.

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