tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post126515296374682092..comments2024-03-28T10:41:26.999-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Using Characters and Scenes to Trim the Fat from Your Story: Part OneDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-46990255811790381742010-01-18T15:11:21.978-07:002010-01-18T15:11:21.978-07:00Thanks for this. I have way too many words and hav...Thanks for this. I have way too many words and have cut and cut, but wasn't sure what else to do. I hate to take out ANYTHING at this point, but if I do, it might make my queries more successful. <br /><br />I haven't read my book in a while so I guess I'll have a fresh eye now.Elizabeth Westhttp://aelizabethwest.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-4464341612429469762010-01-15T14:50:18.374-07:002010-01-15T14:50:18.374-07:00Like the tartlett, I like a nice long juicy tale s...Like the tartlett, I like a nice long juicy tale sometimes. I just finised Wolf Hall - 700 pages or so and now I'm reading an earlier Hilary Mantel about the French revolution - just as long. She puts in all these character lists at the beginning and I get worried but it is no problem - it is good - good enough for a historical novel to win the Booker. that's good. And I'm thinking Dickens - man, hard to keep track of all his 'main' characters. Using your metaphor - sometimes you get a small fat Pekinese - trim that fat! But sometimes you get an elephant or a whale -not overweight - just big. Having said all that, I'm mostly the type that needs to fatten up my manuscripts...Jan Morrisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01771180344305042855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-55257328473046184262010-01-14T05:59:28.831-07:002010-01-14T05:59:28.831-07:00I liked the article. My second last novel could ha...I liked the article. My second last novel could have been much longer, but realizing what Shon has pointed out and using techniques similar to hearwritenow's, I kept it trimmed.<br /><br />www.frankriganelli.weebly.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-78456866480862423462010-01-14T05:55:56.499-07:002010-01-14T05:55:56.499-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-85657607023032182932010-01-13T20:33:59.518-07:002010-01-13T20:33:59.518-07:00As a writer, I tend to be rather succinct (I think...As a writer, I tend to be rather succinct (I think). I can tell a story in 70,000 words or less, usually. I've written only one story that is (barely) over 100,000 words. <br /><br />As a reader, however, I love the big sagas. I love almost everything Michner ever wrote. "The Thorn Birds" was one of my favorite novels and I read every word of "The Ladies of the Club" twice (both required boxes of tissues). I have devoured all of Jean Auel's Earth's Children stories (even though she jumped the shark at "The Mammoth Hunters") and I'm eagerly awaiting the next in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. <br /><br />I like to lose myself in the world of a "really big book". I hope there is still a place for those stories in publishing. I don't think I want to write them, but I sure love to read them.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192716036013528670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-77121626892607687272010-01-13T19:08:47.512-07:002010-01-13T19:08:47.512-07:00What a great post - I've never thought of appr...What a great post - I've never thought of approaching it that way :)Jemi Fraserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02214408467456320167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-3550542206604651062010-01-13T14:42:07.110-07:002010-01-13T14:42:07.110-07:00When minor characters take over one of the ways to...When minor characters take over one of the ways to solve the problem is to identify what traits of theirs are important and/or what they are adding to the story. Some of that can be given to the main characters; sometimes, though, you discover that some minor characters might be amazing, but they add nothing to the story and they really don't belong there.Elle Carter Nealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02266309723919011181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-45846820574134816362010-01-13T12:52:39.459-07:002010-01-13T12:52:39.459-07:00Great post!
With every book I write, I seem to tri...Great post!<br />With every book I write, I seem to trim the secondary characters even more. You're right - no one is going to take notes while they read just to keep up with the story!L. Diane Wolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06425864276166334896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-2112062075547421232010-01-13T12:12:58.779-07:002010-01-13T12:12:58.779-07:00I'm looking forward to the rest of this! Thank...I'm looking forward to the rest of this! Thanks!Donna Gambalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00317767593205769881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-48691912266866070212010-01-13T11:47:44.865-07:002010-01-13T11:47:44.865-07:00Aw, thanks, Maryann. :-) I appreciate that.
And t...Aw, thanks, Maryann. :-) I appreciate that.<br /><br />And thanks for checking out the entry, everyone!Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-85510182989537864882010-01-13T11:46:49.891-07:002010-01-13T11:46:49.891-07:00Watery Tart, the minute I knew the genre of the bo...Watery Tart, the minute I knew the genre of the book, I said, "This book is WAY too long." There are some genres where we might expect a nice weight to the book, but with this book's genre - a blend of street/urban and literary - not so much.<br /><br />I flip-flop a lot. Some days, I want a quickie to read, and other days, I want that nice, big, juicy book that causes my tendinitis to flare just from having to hold the book as I read, LOLShonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-48916331923669977212010-01-13T11:44:27.776-07:002010-01-13T11:44:27.776-07:00Morgan, here's something weird. Before I pursu...Morgan, here's something weird. Before I pursued my MFA, I wrote books that easily hit 90k. Since receiving my MFA, I have to work like crazy to try to get maybe 75k. Learned a lot about trimming the fat, and once I get to the 75k stage, I feel like the story I want to tell is DONE.<br /><br />To try to make the works bigger, I start asking myself what issues am I not covering of the main character might be useful in the book. What could happen to the MC to create even more conflict, tension.Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-91802238773331678922010-01-13T11:41:16.701-07:002010-01-13T11:41:16.701-07:00Helen, that was one of the things I mentioned to t...Helen, that was one of the things I mentioned to the client after reading the book and before getting into edits. And that almost seemed like a viable idea until I learned there was a SEQUEL to the book! I haven't read it, but I think it would have to be read to discern how you could go about possibly breaking up the story in order to make several books from it.Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-74185511815366361642010-01-13T11:14:31.038-07:002010-01-13T11:14:31.038-07:00I have trouble getting my word count up.
Work f...I have trouble getting my word count up.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.workfromhomeindia.biz" rel="nofollow"> Work from home India </a>kanishkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13651620533023202224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-4946204870306282082010-01-13T09:52:11.874-07:002010-01-13T09:52:11.874-07:00Very helpful post, Shon. And what should be an ins...Very helpful post, Shon. And what should be an inspiration to all the writers who read the blog is your bio. Certainly there must be at least three or four of you to accomplish all that you are doing. I stand in awe. LOLMaryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-36344793898745459072010-01-13T07:28:42.920-07:002010-01-13T07:28:42.920-07:00See, now I'm the geek that would like that boo...See, now I'm the geek that would like that book with all its density and richness. I sure wish there was a way we could publish books today that are more like War & Peace or A Suitable Boy...<br /><br />But I agree with the probable impossibility of getting it published in today's climate, and I like Helen's suggestion of telling a couple different versions of the tale.Hart Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17599570189253229318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-41465427622810078162010-01-13T06:53:25.488-07:002010-01-13T06:53:25.488-07:00Wow, that really is a long book. I've edited b...Wow, that really is a long book. I've edited books that were too long but the culprit was filler rather than characters and story line.<br /><br />Great blog.<br /><br />annAnn Elle Altmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02192162600274764681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-17544906264096768682010-01-13T06:27:48.186-07:002010-01-13T06:27:48.186-07:00I have the opposite problem. I have trouble gettin...I have the opposite problem. I have trouble getting my word count up.<br /><br />Morgan Mandel<br />http://morganmandel.blogspot.comMorgan Mandelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-71869130742516489092010-01-13T06:23:28.874-07:002010-01-13T06:23:28.874-07:00Excellent advice. I recently sliced 10K words from...Excellent advice. I recently sliced 10K words from my draft when I realized I was overdeveloping the relationship between two characters who had major roles in the story, but still didn't require that much attention.Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-70536881017844877712010-01-13T05:32:20.448-07:002010-01-13T05:32:20.448-07:00Very good post, Shon. It makes me wonder if the wr...Very good post, Shon. It makes me wonder if the writer your edited perhaps had three or four books in one, with several minor characters vying for their own tale to be told.<br /><br />Helen<br /><a href="http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Straight From Hel</a>Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-78244477534736783312010-01-13T05:08:10.951-07:002010-01-13T05:08:10.951-07:00Great post. I've tweeted it...
Elizabeth
Mys...Great post. I've tweeted it...<br /><br />Elizabeth<br /><a href="http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"> Mystery Writing is Murder</a> <br /><a href="http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/" rel="nofollow"> Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen</a>Elizabeth Spann Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15625595247828274405noreply@blogger.com