Just like shrubs and bushes need to be cut back in order to
help new growth to develop, sometimes the same needs to happen with the stories
we write. Our novels must be pruned. Today I’m centering in on four ways we can
snip away at our work. By taking time during edits to cut the following, we are
in turn creating a healthier story.
Characters
It’s tempting to think every character we’ve invited into
the story must stay. But our work isn’t Hotel California. They can leave after
they’ve checked out and sometimes it’s our job as the author to evict them.
Some questions to ask in order to discern whether a
character needs to stay or go…
Does this individual
reveal anything important in this book? Does the character feel like an awkward
third wheel in most scenes? Do you, as the author, know enough about this
character to support them playing a role in the story? And probably the most
important question, does this character move the plot along in any essential
way?
Scenes
It happens quite often as an author that I’ll hear
conversations between my characters and then I’ll rush to capture them on the
page. They feel important. They sound good. But I’ve spent enough time
constructing novels and tearing them apart to realize there are times those
conversations aren’t meant to be included in the book word for word. Sometimes
they are just meant to reveal something deeper about a character, to help me
get better acquainted.
Some questions to ask in order to discern whether a scene
needs to stay or go…
Am I bored while
reading this scene? Is this scene sticking out like a sore thumb? Are the
events that occur in this scene part of an already flowing, fluid plot? Is this
scene too contrived? Finally, does the particular scene do its job to move the
plot forward?
Words
Ask the editor I’ve hired for several books and she’ll tell
you I’m a fan of stuffing multiple words in a sentence where only one—the best
word—is needed. I’ve been learning to hack away at superfluous words. Words
that in my head sound descriptive, but on the page come across clunky.
Some questions to ask in order to discern whether a word
needs to stay or go…
Have I selected the
best word in this sentence? Am I over-describing this? Does this word paint the
most vivid picture for the reader? Does this word feel a bit like a rock
climber dangling from a cliff? Is this word necessary to the sentence?
Dead Descriptions
I also sharpen my pruning shears when it comes to the cousin
of unnecessary words, dead descriptions. You’d be surprised how many flowery
corpses I encounter while reading (and even when going through early drafts of
some of my books).
Some questions to ask in order to discern whether a
description needs to stay or go…
Am I distracting the
reader from the story with these details? Have I overdone it? Does the scene
feel crowded or as though it’s bulging in a certain spot when upon further
reflection you realize nothing is really happening? Do the descriptions better
help the reader to understand a character or the setting? Am I leaving a
certain section in because I love the way it sounds and not because it serves a
purpose that involves moving the story forward?
What’s the hardest
part about pruning your novel as you edit?
*Taking next week off. Catch you back here one week from
today.
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