I just had a painful writing crisis. I’m thrilled this happened.
I should explain. I was in the process of querying literary agents for the first book in my science fiction trilogy. Generally, the accepted upper limit for word count for fiction is 100,000 words.
Science fiction and fantasy traditionally has some leeway (picture those fat Harry Potters). Scifi and fantasy genres can get away with 120,000 words max, but that’s pushing it.
With these limits firmly in mind, I thought I was fine. My first book was 100,000 words.
Then my beta readers loved a new subplot. I happily wove this into the first book. The idea for spaceships having points of view first came from my husband. I expanded on that. My lost space ship power generator that is worn out and about to blow up is now an important character with a point of view. I thought I was cutting back as I added in. Actually, I wasn’t paying attention.
All done, all ready to create a new query letter, I thought, Hmm, better recheck that word count.
Palm to forehead. My first book had ballooned to 127,000 words. No agent in their right mind would take a debut fiction manuscript of 127,000 words, even for scifi.
I recounted and recounted.
How did this happen? Oh yeah, that chapter, and then that…
I was crushed. I cried. I swore. A lot. My dear husband consoled me. He counted, too.
My head whirled. Do I chop Book One up into many smaller books? But then I would have to rework all the emotional and plot arcs. (I believe every story should have clear arcs, crisis and resolution, for the main characters.)
Maybe I have to self-publish, I unhappily said to my husband. I contracted with a traditional (AALA) agent for my first nonfiction book in 2005. Traditional publishing worked so well for my first nonfiction, I had my heart set on repeating this for my first fiction work.
I took a big breath and tried to figure out how to cut it down. At the very least I would have to remove 7,000 words.
Long story short: It’s been easy! Even better, my book is improving.
I thought at first I would have to axe entire chapters. But no. There’s just a lot of flab (like the word “just”). Fortunately.
How am I finding my flab?
1. Dialog tags. These are phrases that indicate who is talking. I love elaborate dialog tags, (she said, her heart in her throat as she wrung her hands in agitation) because they show emotion and physiology. Most aren’t necessary. Slicing these out increases the pace. A plus.
2. Filter words. These are sensory/processing words like he thought, he saw, he noticed.
Like a lot of writers, I try to avoid distancing filter words. It’s a neat little trick that places the reader inside the character’s head.
I searched on filter words like “thought” or “saw”. Even sensory terms like heard, smelled, tasted can be removed. Every now and then you need one, but it’s surprising how often you don’t.
3. Passive verbs. A classic trick. Instead of He became furious, try He fumed. You need some passive verbs for clarity, but it’s fun to do a search on was, became, is, am, etc, to see how many you can improve with active verbs.
4. Adverbs. Stephen King said the road to hell is paved with adverbs. I still use adverbs. Sparingly.
Try searching for -ly, then search on non -ly adverbs like just, most, so.
The classic example is to use he ran fast instead of the more concise he raced. Walked slowly, rather than paced. One strong word is more powerful than two weak ones.
5. Adjectives. The fewer the adjectives, the clearer the view. It’s a paradox. It’s like magic. Sweep away the clutter. The view crystallizes.
6. Environmental description. A few brushstrokes, then trust the reader will fill out the rest. You don’t need to paint every detail.
7. Internalization. A character’s inner narrative can always be simplified.
In the past two days, I removed 1000 words from just one especially bloated chapter. Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat.
How low can I go?
With limited time, I’ve been working at this a few weeks and it’s now down from 127,000 to 123,000. And it’s a much better book. I’ve only gotten started.
I’m confident I can get below 120,000. I intend to go as far below that as I can. Can I get back down to 100,000? I will try.
I have to reduce before I can query again. That’s where I am.
I’m grateful for this eye-opener. It feels like my book is improving now.
Tim, my husband, had a good analogy. “Your book is like sheet music that people play in their heads. You don’t want to wear your readers out with too many notes.”
The biggest surprise to me is how much I’m loving this! All because it’s becoming a better book, and it isn't as hard as I thought it would be.
I just needed to slam into a wall first.
Update Feb 3/2024: I am making progress! It can be done! PLUS I swear I am loving my book more. Bonus. Here's how I motivate myself. Every day it's a game to see how much I can reduce:
I'm down to 121K words starting at 127K words, only a third of the way through. My goal is to get to at least 115K words. I start reading each chapter jotting down the word count, then seeing how much I can take out.
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