When I’m in the latter stages of revision, and I’ve done everything listed in my Micro Revision post, and I’ve shared the novel with a few beta readers, there comes a time when I try to look at every word in the book.
Of course, I can’t look at every word individually because words in a story don’t stand on their own. I look at words in relation to the other words around them. But I consider every word when I read sentence after sentence, and here’s the main question I ask:
Are there words I can eliminate while still maintaining the Voice of the MC?
I’m not a fan of chopping words just because the sentence will still read okay without them.
I’m not looking for okay, I’m looking to maintain my MC’s voice.
So, I’m a fan of focusing on my how my MC narrates, speaks and acts, and then going from there.
Do I cut a lot of words? I do. But I don’t cut them because they appear to appear too many times.
If there’s a phrase or word that my MC uses with some frequency, I’ll do a search to see where it pops up and I might delete a few of those entries because the same phrase, no matter how witty, has the potential to lose its punch, or become annoying, if used to often.
And yes, I don’t want my manuscript littered with little words like just, but, so, for, and that. However, I don’t cut these words just because a sentence will still read okay without them.
If you cut words without considering the voice, you might revise the voice right out of your story. And if you do that, it’ll be hard for anyone to connect with your story no matter how good the plot is. I did that once a few years ago and then had to do CPR on my manuscript to bring it back to life.
How about you? Have you ever over-revised a manuscript? How do you determine whether to cut or keep a word? All those little decisions can add up.
some good insights here – thank you for this post. I have a tendency to cut things out without considering voice.
I’m glad you wrote about this as it is my biggest concern. I worry even from day to day if I have lost my MC’s voice and make myself go back and reread it before writing again to regain it. Glad I’m not the only one who worries this way.
Everyone is blogging about voice today. This is the third blog. Man!
I wondered if I was the only one to worry about this. Boy am I relieved. WHEW!
Voice comes as we grow as writers. It grows with us. But I angst over whether I’m letting my voice come through or whether I’m forcing it. That is what bothers me. Great post, Paul. 🙂
Excellent point. It’s all part of not editing the heart out of our novels. The characters voice really is the heart. Without it the novel won’t live. You’re right, just because a sentence will read okay without some words doesn’t mean we should cut them.
I really like this reminder, Paul. It’s definitely easy to take our trimming too far and then make our MS a cookie cutter novel. Thank you for this great reminder to make sure to revise within the mind of our POV characters.
Great post, Paul. I’m not one to cut too much when revising, as I tend to underwrite drafts. Although I do have many a “just” to cull out usually. 🙂 However, you’re totally right about draining the voice right out of your work if you get too heavy-handed. I posted about something similar last week (about breaking rules). I went to an editor/author panel at RWA on the topic and the editor said she often saw contest entries that were technically perfect, but that didn’t have any heart or spark. My guess is she meant they didn’t have any voice.
So definitely something to be aware of when revising. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂
I totally did that one time too–in an effort to make my MS conform with the opinions of others I lost the thing that made it special in the first place – it’s voice. (I love your pic, btw!) I’ve been more careful since then, to take opinions with a grain of salt. Or rather, to look at the FLAVOR what they are saying.
Great tips here for how to watch for redundancy without losing those things that make your MC special and unique.
TFS Paul!
I’m sure I have! I’m more careful about it these days. When critting too! Katie Ganshert’s post compliments yours today!
There’s a saying we video editors use. It’s harsh, but it helps.
“Kill your babies.”
Sometimes, what “WE” love about a book (or video) isn’t what resonates with our readers or viewers. Killing it is sometimes necessary.
It’s just we have to be willing to cut out the one thing we’ve become attached to in order to make the story better.
Can YOU kill your baby? =)
Ain’t that the truth. I know the phrase, “kill your darlings.” So important to remember. Thanks, Sarah!
Great insight. I’ve overtrimmed too. Had such fun adding back to that manuscript though. Lots of fun new words! Wheee!
If I obsess about how often a word appears, it drives me insane, and yes, it more often than not ruins the piece. If I can read the manuscript without noticing there’s a word used too often, I let it alone. I won’t count. Some words are used more often than others, and that’s just fine. It’s natural. I like natural storytelling.
If the manuscript sounds natural when read aloud, I leave it alone. I think some writers are too focused on technical things. Voice is important. Don’t lose it to statistics.
Yes. I once over-revised a manuscript to the point that it lost its voice.
Sometimes I debate about taking a redundant word out. Most of the time I end up deleting it totally, and other times I put it back in because it sounds right.
I’m probably guilty of under-revising, but not over-revising. Voice can be tricky. It’s one of those times when reading something out loud can make all the difference.
Oh, Paul, how you speak to my soul. I’ve over-revised a novel before. And I ended up revising the voice right out of it, because I was afraid to “break” the rules.
I submitted that MS to the Amazon contest and when it went through to the quarter-finals, I revised all the voice back in.
And that’s the novel that eventually landed my agent and then my publishing house. I don’t think it would’ve made it without the voice.
Writing with voice requires risk. You have to jump without the parachute. You have to believe. And to do all that, you have to do exactly what you’ve outlined here. Nail it.
I know you have. 🙂
Elana, thanks for sharing your “voice story,” and your insightful comment: “voice requires risk,” that it so true. It’s a good phrase to remember when you’re digging deep.
Guilty! I eliminated every just, very, and countless other words in one of my manuscripts. It didn’t work. Yes, I sometimes overuse these words, but some can stay. Nice post!
You’re so right with this. Sometimes if you get rid of too many words during revision it messes with the flow, the rhythm of the story. Not everybody has an ear for writing the rhythm, but I think readers know something wrong when the rhythm is off.
Thank you, Paul. As always, you’re a man of your insight and precision.
Great points. We talk about this at critique group sometimes. One crit partner and I who “get” each other particularly well often say things like, “I rewrote that line this way, but don’t change it if it’s messing with your voice.” Sometimes the most concise wording is better, but sometimes it makes it stilted or sound like just anyone could have said it.
I don’t think I’ve over-revised a manuscript, but I fear doing so every time I’m in that “is it really finished?” phase.
Good post. In our quest to write “good” fiction, we can sometimes get so caught up in the so-called rules that we lose sight of what’s more important: the spirit of the piece. I’d much rather read an imperfectly written story that breathes with life than a perfect story that’s flatter than yesterday’s pancake.
Every. Word. Oh, my. I do try to look for words that are overused or seem out-of-place or out-of-character but I fall short of this amazing skill of yours. In truth, I’m being a bit of a slacker at the moment. Must remedy that.
I love reading your posts AND the comments. I learn so much. Thanks, Paul.
Helpful post, Paul. Thanks for these insights and parameters. What’s really helpful is that I think about every word in relation to the others without changing the voice of the MC.