by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28
It can be hard to let go of my words. I get attached. Do you?
One of the hardest things about editing our writing is deleting sentences, paragraphs, and even whole pages. It’s not easy to string words and ideas together, so why go through the anxiety of having to delete some?
Turn anxiety into peace by remembering that streamlined writing makes for streamlined reading. We don’t want to clutter our message. Instead, we can see whether every word is vital to a sentence, whether every sentence is needed in a paragraph, and whether every paragraph helps a chapter or article to be the best it can be. So maybe I can help smooth the inner turmoil a bit.
Reasons Why Deleting is Necessary to Make our Writing Better
1. Unnecessary words distract from your main point.
Don’t let unneeded words distract the reader from the heart of your message. You may like a certain rabbit trail or want to include an extra illustration, but consider whether it will help your point or hinder it. See whether every word is serving a useful purpose. If you can delete a word or sentence and find that you’re not missing something important, it needs to go! Tight writing makes for excellent reading.
2. Too many words in a sentence can hurt the musicality of your writing.
Although it’s good to mix long and short sentences, too many long sentences can sound monotonous in the mind of the reader. You don’t want your sentences to sound burdened and weighed down. Remember that the words you write become a song for your reader to hear, so select words that add lyricism to your writing and delete words that muffle the melody.
3. Your book may need to start on a different page or in a different chapter.
When you’re writing a book, that sounds like “sacrilege,” right? I found that Introductions are the hardest to write. Stay open to the possibility that the best place to start your book may not be on page 1. Since the beginning of a book needs to be as snappy and attention-getting as possible, I’ve found it may be necessary to delete some paragraphs or pages to jump into the book’s message. Receiving feedback from a writers’ group or an impartial friend will help you to know whether your book starts in the right spot.
4. Your writing is more about what the reader needs to hear rather than what you need to say.
Writing is definitely therapy for the soul, but a book shouldn’t be our personal venting platform. God can work through our joys and troubles and speak to others. We just need to know how much to divulge. We can take the lessons we’ve learned and share them with our readers, and perhaps they will reach their own “aha” moment when the truth of God clicks in their minds and hearts. Remembering our purpose in writing—to encourage, strengthen, or instruct—will help us to know what to include and what to leave out.
5. The reader will never know what was deleted.
Did that one make you smile? We may agonize over what needs to be left out, but the reader will never know about our agony. Hopefully, what they read will be a heartfelt, prayed-over, edited and re-edited version of what we want to share with them. The published work will have so much love, insight, and wisdom poured into it, that the reader will be blessed. Much more than if they had read our first draft. Our writing improves with editing, prayer, and even deletion.
So take heart, writer friend! The words you write are precious, and the words you leave in your books and articles are even more so. They will speak to the reader, play a song in their head, and touch their heart.
When you delete something from your writing, do you find it a burden or a relief? What types of things do you tend to delete more than others? Share your thoughts below, and don’t forget to join the conversation!
TWEETABLE
In addition to online magazines, Katy’s writing can be found at CBN.COM, thoughts-about-God.com, and three blogs on writing. She loves to spend time with family and friends, talk about art and crafts in her group MY ARTSY TRIBE, and tend the garden in the morning sun. She makes her home in a cozy suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Connect with on FACEBOOK and TWITTER.
When I first started writing, I kept a file of what my critique partners told me to cut. I just KNEW I'd want them back. About a year later when I'd never retrieved a single one of those words, I deleted the file. I think new writers aren't sure they can come up with another paragraph as beautiful as the one they cut. But the more they workout the creative muscle, the more it comes up with. Great post, Katy!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing that, Ane. I often forget about what I have cut, but it makes me secure knowing I have it somewhere in an "Extra" file. :)
DeleteAwesome post. I especially need #4 as I contemplate what, and how much to tell. Between prayer, and thinking of "what the reader needs to hear" I see a clearer direction, much less focused on me. Thank you so much, Katy.
ReplyDeleteHello, Elisabeth! I am so glad you found the post helpful. I love growing through the writing process, but when I taught youth Sunday school, it helped me to remember I need to share what they need to hear more than what I enjoyed studying. Thanks for your comment!
DeleteStarting with a word being necessary for a sentence, to a sentence necessary for the paragraph and the paragraph being necessary for your story is simple yet profound. I will keep these close to me as I write--thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tom!
DeleteVery wise, Katy. Thank you. I remember when I realized, "If I delete this, the reader isn't going to think, 'I can't believe she deleted that. I'm missing it.'" That really helped to set me free.
ReplyDelete"Your writing is more about what the reader needs to hear rather than what you need to say." LOVE this! :)
ReplyDelete"Don't fall in love with your words" was some of the best advice...and the hardest...I've received. I may love a passage or a scene, but if it doesn't advance the plot, is it really necessary? Hard truths.
ReplyDelete