Hello, writers. I’m neck deep in a revision of my fantasy manuscript for my new agent.
This is not the fantasy manuscript from last year, which failed to sell and has been trunked. Word is that that one was good enough but it wasn’t commercial enough. This is a different one.
I’ve already cut massive amounts of darlings—scenes, descriptions, amusing interludes—during previous revisions. Now I have to add some stuff. Thing is, at 72,500 words, I’m already skating on the far edge of an acceptable length for middle grades. That means for everything that I add, I’m going to have to cut more of the old stuff.
Cutting is usually a good idea. Excess verbiage obscures the story. It’s all right to write a 200,000 word novel, but when it’s done, you generally can improve it by cutting at least 100,000 words.
It’s not necessary to describe everything that happens in complete detail, or always to explain why it happened and what your POV character thinks about it. Much of the construction of a story occurs inside the reader’s head, using the outlines that we’ve provided him/her.
Less is almost always more.
Okay. Remember that callow youth we’ve been talking about for the last several weeks? This guy/gal:
A callow youth (male or female) is the Chosen One who must obtain the sacred jewel of Togwogmagog in order to save the kingdom.
“
Tonight, I want you to imagine that the Sacred Jewel Itself is sitting on a pedestal in the center of a vast stone hall.
Got that? Good. Now, our callow youth is standing in the doorway. S/he just has to go and pick the damn thing up. But the scene is fraught with danger.
Go ahead and fraught it. (What’s the present tense of fraught? Frig? Frack?) Paint deep danger. Any kind you want.
But… here’s tonight’s challenge.
The scene’s job is to show that the hall is full of danger and the C.Y. is unlikely to get out of it alive.
The scene must be 100 words or less. It’s okay if you write it longer first. But it’s got to be cut down to 100 words. Trust the reader to flesh out the details and understand the larger meaning of small things.
Write On! will be a regular weekly diary (Thurs 8 pm ET) until it isn't.
Before signing a contract with any agent or publisher, please be sure to check them out on Preditors and Editors, Absolute Write and/or Writer Beware.