Wednesday 1 August 2012

Insecure Writer's Support Group - August



The idea of the Insecure Writers Support Group is for writers to blog on the first Wednesday of the month about their fears, struggles and triumphs they have experienced with their writing.

How can it be August? July - and the rest of the year, come to think about it - has flown by and it's (supposedly) summer already. Anyway, the beginning of August means another chance have a moan, wobble or moment of pure triumph during the Insecure Writer's Support Group.
This month I'm wondering how on earth I am meant to cut my book down by 10,000 wordsish. I wrote far too much and now I've got to reign it in. I've been having a think about it while the book is 'resting' and I know a few scenes/minor plotlines that can go but 10,000 words worth???
I guess I won't know if I can pull it off until I get on with it but at the moment I'm shaking my head in wonderment as I imagine myself snipping at my book rather than gouging chunks out.
I must be brave and find 10,000 words of crap or unimportance. If it doesn't add any real value to the story or move the plot along, it must go.
I should write that on a post-it note...

13 comments:

  1. 10K isn't nearly as much as you think! I cut Game On by more than 60K, which might just mean my first draft was terrible lol! Once you start reading it back, you will probably find it is easier than you first thought.

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  2. Good luck with the editing! I'm sure that once you get into the swing of 'cutting', you'll be okay.
    Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment, Mama J. :)

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    1. Hi Michelle :-) Thank you for visiting my blog too!

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  3. Once you get into it, I bet you'll find places you can condense, if you don't want to cut. Ten thousand seems like a lot but spread out over a novel, you'll be able to do it in bits and pieces. :)
    Good luck!

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    1. Hi Cate.

      You're right - in a huge chunk it seems massive but I'm sure there'll be bits here and there that can go or the writing tightened up.

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  4. Just tightening the writing and cutting out weasel words (assuming you have some LOL) can cut it a lot. Is there a scene or part of a scene you don't need? If not, then divide 10,000 by the number of chapters (or pages, which ever is easier) and know that's how many words you'll have to cut per page/chapter. Good luck. ;)

    IWSG #179 (At least until Alex culls the list again. :P)

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    1. Hi Melissa. I'm sure there will be loads that could be cut out and I'm just worrying over nothing (I hope). But if I didn't worry, I'd have nothing to post about on the first Wednesday of the month :-P

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  5. If you know you have to do it, that's half the battle. (Says she who has a massively long novel that she still can't quite what to do with)

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    1. Yep, it definitely needs doing. I think (hope) it'll make a better book once I'm done.

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  6. Recipricating the visit via IWSG, and especially to thank you for your quick supportive words against my own fears. Although reading your post, I have to admit - I have about 10,000 words myself to cut, *grins*.

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    1. Thanks for visiting and good luck with your 10,000 words too :-)

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  7. I love cutting because I usually realize I didn't need the scenes I cut, and it makes the book so much cleaner without them. Best of luck!

    Allison (Geek Banter)

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  8. Thanks :-) I'm hoping lots of unnecessary scenes jump out at me when I open the document! Wishful thinking...

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