tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post9195917699072259299..comments2024-03-17T06:03:00.362-04:00Comments on Fiction University: Slash and Burn: Cutting Words From Your NovelJanice Hardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-19684364422903089152014-06-03T14:30:01.489-04:002014-06-03T14:30:01.489-04:00Sometimes you have to prune to let the flowers gro...Sometimes you have to prune to let the flowers grow :) Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-20096831521409936652014-06-03T14:28:13.472-04:002014-06-03T14:28:13.472-04:00Sounds like an effective plan.Sounds like an effective plan.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-62111647260262687942014-05-31T01:18:20.342-04:002014-05-31T01:18:20.342-04:00I agree with all your points here. Cutting isn'...I agree with all your points here. Cutting isn't always easy but you're right...the story usually benefits!Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-2518436563682737662014-05-30T17:47:50.814-04:002014-05-30T17:47:50.814-04:00Pantsers should cut before they revise. That way ...Pantsers should cut before they revise. That way they don't waste time on tangents that wandered into the story. I do a very fast pass and chop anything that no longer fits, and then do a second slower pass and grab anything I missed the first time.Linda Maye Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07203020058437093901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-88675174339667765502012-05-22T16:57:19.077-04:002012-05-22T16:57:19.077-04:00Grats Alberta! That's wonderful. It's so n...Grats Alberta! That's wonderful. It's so nice when you can find a new home for cut scenes.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-64396530721799741882012-05-20T03:51:36.508-04:002012-05-20T03:51:36.508-04:00Just been doing #6 this week have cut two scenes c...Just been doing #6 this week have cut two scenes completly and for good from WIP however they have found fresh life as two short stories for my next collection - love a good re-cycle me:)alberta rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02132420168908365099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-50501642519876976022011-01-02T19:03:40.487-05:002011-01-02T19:03:40.487-05:00Wonderful adviceWonderful adviceS. A. Soule, Creativity Coachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07345161433926665847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-42918353985713825832010-01-26T12:49:06.087-05:002010-01-26T12:49:06.087-05:00I'm getting used to cutting things. I've ...I'm getting used to cutting things. I've found that practice helps; I've also started cutting early into realizing something's going off-track, so I'm generally cutting a lot less.<br /><br />I like your #6, giving bits a new home. In one WiP, so far, the thrust of every single scene I cut has found a new home later in the manuscript, in some fashion, save one. That one started out near the beginning of the manuscript, but I realized that one of the main parties couldn't have been there, so I've been trying to nudge it back in. It looks like it's going to be in one of the last chapters.<br /><br />In my novel draft that's on its 3rd revision, things aren't going quite so smoothly, in part because it's the 2nd novel I've ever finished a complete draft of, so it needs a lot of work from the things I learned while writing it. I've had to do so much expansion on it (it started out 17k words, then became 73k), that the thought of cutting it makes me wince. But I'm starting to see the diamond beneath all that coal, so it's bearable.Carradeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05431561739001270522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-36103556182133971432009-05-12T17:21:00.000-04:002009-05-12T17:21:00.000-04:00Most welcome! Juliette has a great take on world b...Most welcome! Juliette has a great take on world building. We've had plenty of interesting discussions on the topic :)Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-27419808476389421482009-05-12T12:12:00.000-04:002009-05-12T12:12:00.000-04:00Yea, this is a tough one. I've been learning about...Yea, this is a tough one. I've been learning about this in the workshop I'm taking at Juliette's blog right now. I went through three different revisions before I submitted. The first one I completely threw out, so that was hard. The second one I ended up cutting about half of it and redoing that half (though the overall word count was lower the second time.) Now for the final revisions Juliette requested that I cut the scene almost completely (or at least compress it) and start at a different point in the story. I've learned so much taking that workshop it's been great. Not just about world building, which is the main theme of the workshop, but about the writing process in general. <br /><br />That's why I love reading both your blog and hers. They're great insights into the writing process. Juliette gets more into the world building aspects that I'm so interested in, and you get into the more detailed aspects of writing and the mindset behind it, which is something I really need to learn more about.<br /><br />Thanks again!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05799582651005924816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-66125897275821561732009-05-11T18:06:00.000-04:002009-05-11T18:06:00.000-04:00I think that I've cut more words from my WIP than ...I think that I've cut more words from my WIP than I have in my overall word count. I've never been bothered by it because each cut feels like a fresh start. There was a reason I was cutting the scene, and I usually feel that by cutting the scene I just made the book stronger. <br /><br />Thanks for sharing your take on it. I always love reading your blog!MeganRebekahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03285116194891827858noreply@blogger.com