Before you read on, I want you to identify your why.
Why do you write? Why are you telling that story? Why do you want to be an author?
It is vital that you understand and know your why, so that when things are hard, you can stay motivated, keep learning, and improve your skills as a writer.
Now, I need you to be okay with throwing words away.
I know. I know. You worked really hard on that sentence. It’s beautiful, articulate, expressive, and it’s completely useless.
So, throw it away.
The most difficult part of my job is telling an author that a word, sentence, paragraph, or chapter is slowing down their story or not essential to the plot. I am not heartless. I know how much you agonized over those words. But in many instances, it must go. Don’t waste your time or hard-earned money by sending something to the editor that you already know should be cut.
So, let me save you time and heartache.
Here are my top three trash worthy elements in your manuscript.
1. Your sentence includes information that is not important to the plot or characters.
I see this all the time.
“Fred walked across the room. He reached for the doorknob. He turned the doorknob and opened the door.”
Ask yourself why? Why did you write all that? Are you building suspense?
If you are attempting to build suspense, why didn’t you include any emotion or feeling into the actions?
If you are attempting to tell the reader how to open a door, you might be a few centuries late in that instruction.
Again, ask yourself what the reader needs to know and how can you convey the information in a concise manner. Do not include mundane tasks in your book in order to move a character through action. Make sure that every sentence has purpose in either developing your characters or plot.
2. Do not place people, places, or objects in your story without purpose.
If you make a point to say that a knife sits on that table, there better be a reason.
If you mention a knife, that knife better be back or have a reason to be there.
Not every detail in a story should be included. Your modern reader is much more impatient than they used to be. Move the plot along and only mention things that will have reasons to be there.
3. Take out clichés, jargon, and filler words.
There are loads of blogs out there that list words that you should remove from your writing. The most repetitive mistakes I see include really, that, very, so, think, and then.
My delete button gets worn out removing the phrase, “He began to …” or “The rain began to fall…” or “She began to pack.”
NO, NO, NO. Just give the action. There is no begin, there just is. There are much more creative and expressive ways to show a reader your story. Rather than overusing adjectives, use stronger verbs, and stop telling us that your character is about to do something or beginning to do something.
Above all, don’t ever give an editor your first draft. You are really wasting your money when you do that. For more tips on what to do before you hire an editor click here.
Don’t ever worry that throwing something away means you failed. Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, says, “The wastepaper basket is your friend. It was created for you by God.” She is right. Use that thing often, and I promise you will have a much better story afterward.
Don’t ever stop practicing and never forget your why. Your story is unique and will touch readers and open their minds to your perspectives, so don’t let discouragement and self-doubt overcome your reasons for writing.
