TIL that killing my darlings in a manuscript actually makes the story better

Cut 12 pages from chapter 4 last night after my book club said the pacing dragged and now the whole thing flows way faster.

3 comments

3 Comments

ruby_bell473d ago

Hold up, I gotta push back a little here. Cutting stuff just because someone said it drags might mean you're losing the texture that made the story feel real and lived in. Sometimes that slower pace is what lets readers breathe and get attached to the characters before things speed up.

caseywalker3d agoMost Upvoted

Yep. Read every page aloud. You'll feel the dead weight instantly.

miaprice3d agoMost Upvoted

12 pages is basically a whole short story I murdered last night.