You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke. ~Arthur Polotnik
In editing a short story this weekend I cut my favorite lines. Yes, it was painful, I thought they were brilliant when I wrote them but after many critiques the reality was they stood out and many readers thought they were too clever, too contrived.
Many editors will say you need to cut your favorite lines, they are often just fluff where the real stuff is hidden underneath. In Steering the Craft, Ursula LeGuin has a powerful exercise in editing. Take a piece of writing (anything over 400 words) and cut it by half. Cut it in half but keep the “narrative clear and the sensory impact vivid”. She suggests that by cutting the dialogue in half (if there is any) you will see what your characters are really saying. Today, try this exercise, what is left? Is it strong powerful writing? Anton Chekhov’s advice in revising a short story throw out the first three pages! Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
There is nothing more painful than the editing process. My mom used to tell me that once “all the work was done”, I’d feel better. How to explain how painful slicing it up was to me.
She was right, though – I always do feel better about a story once it’s edited and the bandages are on. 🙂
Thanks for the lovely comment on my blog. I hope to see you come by again, soon.
Thanks Les,
I love the image of the bandages being on. I’ll be visiting again soon.
This has often come to my mind – editing out stuff that I think is fluffilicious. Prob is I usually spend too much time editing and then after all that time I put in, I realize it’s still too long. I just want to finish. That’s really all that matters, so I too should get back to work.