A Word on Editing
Writing well means learning where to trim the fat. One book I read calls this “turkey-carcass” writing, meaning that after the editor gets done with this delicious looking material you’ve just cooked up, all that’s left to print is…well, you get the idea.
On that note…
I was told to get my latest writing assignment for work in under 500 words. I turned in an early draft that fell somwhere around 450 and waited for the editor to get back to me with his notes.
Meanwhile, I went on developing the story, and eventually finished a draft at 499 words.
I got the notes and set out to make the changes and include those facets the editor requested, and soon found the piece measuring a little over 550 words. Now, I couldn’t really drop any of the actual content, so I had to find a way to trim my word count without actually affecting the story.
The draft I turned in today came in right at 500 – more material than the previous draft, and only one more word than before.
I don’t think I ever understood the concept of what it means to find the “right word” until I made those cuts.
Anyway, no real rhyme or reason to this; just felt like sharing. Good night.
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