Less is More

One of the hardest things for an author is figuring out how to cut down a manuscript to the right length. When I write a rough draft, I like to put everything in including the kitchen sink. All those lovely ideas I just want so bad to write, I get them all in whether they fit or not. This is the fun part for me as an author. Getting to write all the exciting stuff without worrying about how it fits together or if it is slowing down the plot. But then comes the time of reckoning. Revisions. This is when I have to go through a story and brutally cut out anything that is not important to the main plot of the story. A normal young adult length novel can be anywhere from 50,000 to 80,000 words long. (Only insanely popular authors like J. K. Rowling get to break this rule.) One of the manuscripts I am currently working on at the moment is at 127,000 words long. You can see that some major surgery has to take place before I can submit the manuscript to a publisher. You have no idea how hard it is to choose what gets cut out and what doesn't. So many beautiful, touching, and hilarious little details have to go. Only the very best may stay. It can be a little bit daunting. But in the end, it is always worth it!