Authors who write tight are more likely to get the attention of publishers than ones with exaggerative, overly-complicated, repetitive writing (see what we did there?!). Tightly written books are page-turners; their stories are clear and engaging. There is far less fluff, which is good because readers often skim over that to get to the good stuff anyway.
When your editor writes on your 125,000-word manuscript, “I love your manuscript. Now cut 25,000 words,” they are saying you need to “tighten your writing.” You need to prune the things that don’t add value.
Cutting so many words may sound like a death sentence for your story, but it’s quite the opposite. Tightening up your writing means pruning meaningless clutter that stands between your message and your reader.
“Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule.” – Stephen King
Words straight out of a thesaurus and paragraphs that take the scenic route to the point do not always make the author appear more intelligent. In fact, the opposite is often true (with the exception of certain textbooks, technical writing pieces, and some marketing copy where repetition may increase conversions).
Copywriting and marketing expert, Roy Furr explains, “Flowery prose and clever turns of phrase are appropriate at times. But, in general, to write tight, you probably have to kill your darlings.”
Voice and style are important, but Furr warns that the trouble is when writing draws more attention to itself than to the story. He says, “That’s when readers think the author is showing off.”
“Good writing is impressive. Great writing is invisible.” – Roy Furr
It’s not always about using fewer words. It’s about using the right ones.
To tighten up your writing, go through your work to remove or revise vague, meaningless pronouns that weaken your message (it was, there is), invisible, unnecessary words (that), weak words (just), mushy modifiers (very, nearly, quite, almost, sort of, rather), and empty words that often precede a verb (he began to edit his work could be he edited his work).
FOR EXAMPLE:
ORIGINAL: When she learned about the fact that I had been diagnosed with cancer, she was very devastated.
TIGHTER: When she learned about my cancer diagnosis, she was devastated.
OR: She was devastated about my cancer diagnosis.
ORIGINAL: I headed for the kitchen and began to make a coffee.
TIGHTER: I made a coffee in my new kitchen. (If you’re going to mention the kitchen, there should be a reason. Otherwise, it might be tighter to leave it out.)
Which versions do you like better? The original or the tightened-up versions? Did you find that the author’s story was diminished in the tighter version? What would you do differently? Or would you tighten them up even further? We would love to get your take on tight writing and whether it’s something you’ll keep in mind for future edits.
