Cut Words For Stronger Writing

All writers need to learn how to cut words. We often need to write to a maximum word count for our submissions and for contests. There are numerous ways to cut. Cutting words should be a part of your editing process. I am repeating an earlier post on this topic.  

The women in my online writing group request help in cutting words almost more than anything else. Many are writing toward a publication or a contest that sets a specific word count. When you are 100- 200 or more words over that number, something must be done.

Stephen King tells us to get rid of every ounce of excess fat. He knows from experience that this is not easy, that it hurts. 

Does cutting 200 words from your story or essay sound impossible? At first, it might seem so, but it's surprisingly easy to slash and slice when you do an edit. I've done it so I know others can, too.

One thing we writers often do is to add unnecessary words--ones like really, usually, even so, and others. There are lists of those unnecessary words. Look for them with a search engine. Many are words we often 'toss in' when we are speaking to someone. When writing, get rid of them.

Another way to cut is to look for sentences with something like this:  I came to a decision... Change it to I decided... Four words gone! That doesn't sound like very many, but take away four here, four there, and it adds up. 

Limit adjectives. Some writers use two or three for one noun. That's a lot for one little noun to bear. One works fine, and that one may make a bigger impression than if you used two or three. You could begin to sound gushy. 

Get rid of adverbs. They describe verbs and, if used, you end up telling rather than showing. Writers often use them to make passive verbs look better. I believe Stephen King also said something about the road to Hell being paved with adverbs. That's not a word for word for word quote. If you find a list of unnecessary words to cut, you'll discover that many are adverbs. 

Long, convoluted sentences can almost always be cut in some way. When a sentence is too long, it can overwhelm the reader to the point that they miss the message in the sentence. Cut as much as possible without losing the meaning. I often find it better to divide those long sentences into two separate ones It doesn't help you cut words but does help with clarity.

'He jumps over the fence that borders the park grounds.' What word can you do without in this sentence? Remove 'that' and change 'borders' to 'bordering' and 'that' is gone. Write 'The poem that I wrote won first prize.' Change it to 'The poem I wrote won first.' I cut 'that' and also 'prize' because 'that' is unnecessary to the meaning of the sentence, and saying 'first' indicates 'first prize.' Try going through a story in your files and circle all the 'that' words. Then go back and see how many of them can be cut without losing the meaning of the sentence. 

Don't introduce a sentence with phrases like:  Instead of, With the possible exception of, The reason why. Those are added words. Without them, the meaning of the sentence is still the same. Some writers use them for emphasis or to help clarify what the main part of the sentence tells us. They are not necessary in most cases.

In sentences where you begin with 'I think' 'I feel' or, 'I believe', those introductory words to the sentence are not needed. If you say 'I believe that cows are the sweetest farm animal.' and change to 'Cows are the sweetest farm animal.' nothing is lost except those two words at the beginning. 

Use active verb forms instead of ones like: Tommy was running to catch his buddies. Say: Tommy ran to his buddies. You've cut three words.

You can cut more words here and there with thought. Oops! I could have eliminated 'here and there' and maybe even 'with thought.' 

One big way to reduce your word count is to look for sections where you have repeated the same thought twice, even if using different words. Some writers do it to make sure their reader understands the point. We need to give our readers credit for being able to decipher what point we are making. Say it once, then cut the rest. You can delete whole paragraphs if one is redundant. 

You will find many ways to cut words when you edit. What seems a near-impossible job turns out to be easier than feared. The benefit comes in the form of stronger writing. 

Writers Benefit From Cutting Words

"When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done."
                                     ---Stephen King  

 All we need to do is look at the success Stephen King has had in the writing world and we should know immediately that his advice is to be taken seriously. Let's face it--the man knows what he's talking about. Somewhere between writing horror stories that the public eagerly awaits, Mr. King has taken time to offer his thoughts and advice to other writers. If you have not read his book, On Writing, you are missing one of the finest books on our craft. Part memoir and part writing class, it is down to earth and a good read.

He does not address his genre of writing per se. He speaks to all writers. I used his quote on cutting your story, essay or poem as you rewrite, revise, edit--all of these--to bring an important point to you today.

One of the most difficult things we writers must do is to cut our words. Those words are precious. Each and every one. The old Less is more can be applied here when reasoning why you would want to slash away at the prose piece you've slaved over for days. That 'excess fat' as King terms it can cover up the good part of what you've written and you don't want to do that.

What can you cut without losing the strong part of your story?

If you use two, or even three, adjectives to describe a noun, consider cutting until you have only one left. Make it the strongest one.

Cut adverbs. They throw you into that telling mode over and over again.

Cut the ham sandwich. All the reader needs is the meat; toss the bread. We don't need every little mundane detail, things like how a man got up from his chair, then walked slowly to the front door, then opened the door. All we need to know is that the man answered the door. The reader doesn't care about how he got to the door. Unless how he got there is important to the story. Usually, it isn't.

Cut anything that has no importance to the story. Many writers use backstory to explain something. Doing so takes precious words and often becomes so long that the reader loses the original train of thought. Instead of backstory, weave the details in and out of the main story.

Many calls for submissions give a maximum word count. If the editors specify 1200 words, they don't mean that you can overflow to 1500. If your story is 300 words over the limit, you have some work to do. Besides the above suggestions, you can shorten many sentences by finding another way to say whatever. Is it possible to cut 300 words from a 1500 word story? You bet it is. I know because I've done it.

By cutting and cutting some more, dumping that 'excess fat,' is going to leave you with a stronger piece of writing.

If you'd like to see a summary of Stephen King's book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, read this review. Even after reading it, you might want to purchase a copy of the book or check it out of your local library so you can read the whole thing. I think you'll find it of great interest. Meanwhile, start looking at places to cut your words. Even poems can benefit from losing a few words.