Spring is here! I keep repeating this mantra to myself, even though mother nature (she has a perverse sense of humour) has greeted us the last few mornings with SNOW. But the determined birds keep singing spring’s praise, so much so, that if I close my eyes, I can almost feel spring. I’ve also had the spring-cleaning bug—rifling through closets, dusting off clothing no longer worn to donate and cleaning out the boxes that have been sitting in my back room for months and months.
I’m also shaggy. I am in serious need of a haircut, an eyebrow shaping, and I’m prickly! I dearly need a new razor to release these legs from their winter coat. Too bad we weren’t like animals and could shed our leg hairs each spring. Regardless, it got me to thinking about all this self care and how my current manuscript could the same focused love.
Just as I need a trim, my novel needs a strategic cut. Somehow, with all this character development and raising the stakes and tying up loose ends, my word count swelled and it’s time to sharpen my scissors and pull out the trimmers.
The easiest way to cut the words down would be a dramatic, brave, and bold cut like chopping off a ponytail. For sure, taking off 4-6 inches of my sandy blonde length or 10-20,000 words in one feel swoop would do the trick, but this would drastically change my look and my novel. I don’t want to alter the essence of myself or my novel, just tidy up and cut what isn’t needed. I want to lose the dead ends.
Maybe a few more skills or sharpened hair-cutting instruments are required. Perhaps looking critically at my secondary plot lines. Maybe I need some layering, to shed out a character or two and their side stories, offshoots that aren’t essential to the overall plot. How about some sexy seventies layering and feathering to spruce up the old image?
Then we can pull out the fine-tuning instruments like the electric clippers (and tweezers for my eyebrows) and delete unnecessary words like; just, that, really, something, someone… and see where this takes us. Thank goodness for the ‘find’ feature in Microsoft word. Do you remember getting checked for lice when you were little? It always seemed to be a sweet, motherly woman, gently using little chop sticks to lift and examine, sending tingles down my scalp as they searched for nits. They were always SO nice. I need a loving motherly figure to sit with me and examine each needless word. I should remember to treat myself, as they treated my little girl self—kind and patient.
The best part is. If I’m still not happy with the overall look, I can always bring in a second opinion. Invite the thoughts of a good friend, that blunt and honest friend, who will give you their impression on your look. I parallel this to having family and friend’s reading your novel. Great insight… but often they aren’t hard enough on you.
Even better, why not check in with beta readers, readers not so close to you, just as you should check in with your hairdresser for their opinion on your appearance. It may be your stylist has been dying to make a recommendation, but you need to be open to it. Try to be open to beta readers comments and your stylist’s suggestions.
Finally, why not hire a professional editor? Start with a substantive edit and let them know one of your goals is to cut words. This might be like signing up for a television make over, however, the process and learning and growth potential for your novel is invaluable.
I’m currently waiting for pages back from an editor and therefore, my writing timelines feel discombobulated. It’s hard to move forward when you have no clue what they will suggest.
I better run! I need to text my hairdresser and ask her to add in some spring highlights as well.
