Wordcount Woes: Ten Tips for Cutting your Manuscript

Do you often find yourself facing a first draft (or even a second or third!) that is ridiculously over your target word count? Do you struggle to delete even the smallest of sentences from your manuscript? Do you feel attached to each word as though it is a beloved pet or child? If so, you are not alone…  

If you were lucky enough to get into your stride and the words poured from your pen or your fingers furiously typed away, rejoice. This is often how great first drafts are written: naturally and freely, coming straight from the heart.  
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However, once you finish your hefty first draft, the task of cutting it down to size can seem daunting, if not impossible. We are here to help! Read on for our top ten tips for cutting words from your manuscript.  

Rowanvale's Top 10 Tips:​

• Avoid stating what’s not happening. (e.g. ‘He didn’t respond.’ ‘She didn’t say anything.’)  

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• Delete repetitions of all kinds in your manuscript (imagery, plot points, ideas, descriptions, phrases, words)   

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• Delete all/most of the character backstory in the first few chapters and add the essentials as you go along, on an “as-needed” basis.    

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• Consider deleting one or two strands of subplot, without taking anything essential away from the novel.    

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• There’s no need to use great detail when describing characters or scenes. When two adjectives are more than enough to qualify a noun, why do you need seven? Just give the most obvious or interesting details and let readers fill in the rest.  

  

• Wherever possible, use the contracted form of verbs. However, be aware that contracted verbs don’t always flow well. There’s a time and place for ‘it’s’ and a time and place for ‘it is’.  

  

• Avoid clichés, idioms and proverbs. For example, instead of saying, ‘“I’ve bought a new car,” he said, looking like the cat that got the cream.’ you could say, ‘“I’ve bought a new car,” he said, looking smug.’  

  

• Use action tags instead of dialogue tags where possible. If done cleverly and clearly, this can move the plot forward whilst saving words!  

  

• Eliminate redundant words and passages. The word ‘that’ can often be removed without changing the meaning or clarity of a sentence. Also, if you find yourself writing snippets like ‘the armed gunman’, you can cut ‘armed’, as it is already clear that the man is armed with a gun from the use of the word ‘gunman’.  

  

• Reconstruct sentences in passive voice into active voice to shave a few words from your word count.  

Remember, if you can cut 10 words per page in a 300-page manuscript, you’ve already shortened it by 3,000 (unnecessary) words! Now, pick up your literary scissors and be ruthless. Happy snipping!  

At Rowanvale Books, we offer a selection of individual services and self-publication packages including all services listed above. To find out more, please visit https://www.rowanvalebooks.com/self-publishing-services or contact us at info@rowanvalebooks.com ​​