On the "cut mercilessly" rule of writing.

By DaWalrus · Aug 5, 2010 · 521 · 2
  1. In this thread originally posted by CrazyIvan, one of the replies mentions the good old "cut-to-the-bone" principle.

    Reviewing my own opus in progress, I've pondered how exactly to understand that guideline. Should anything non-essential be deleted? Definitely not. How about redundant or irrelevant? Definitely yes.

    A few thoughts here.

    First, the porter in Macbeth. (Who's there, i' th' name of Beelzebub?). Hold on to your rotten tomatoes, I am not suggesting to edit him out, just to improve upon the classic. But even without it, would not we still have a masterpiece of a play on our hands?

    On the other hand, I have enountered a specific situation, when removing an appealing piece was called for. I had three sentences: A, B, and C.

    'A' presented an initial idea. Both B and C improved upon it, though they were redundant. Both appeared witty, and the choice was a bit painful. But a choice it was. Stuffing in anything that appears original, relevant and clever results in amateurish-looking clutter.

    I also have a chapter which is essential to the plot, although I really hate it. So, I intend to condense it to a paragraph.

    I guess, I would rephrase the rule as:

    Without mercy, but with judgement, cut and condense. ​

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  1. Cogito
    I think the better known phrasing of this guideline is more useful: Kill your darlings.

    What is a darling? Here's a little chatten between a couple of inner voices:

    "This scene really doesn't belong. It's a side excursion that leads the reader away from the real story."

    "But it's such a beautiful scene! The line about the horse and the coyote is pure gold!"

    "I know, but the scene breaks the flow of the story."

    "So what? The scene was an inspiration, and I spent hours polishing it up until it gleams like a Ferrari."

    "Oh, hell. Maybe we can rework it so it fits better."

    The scene is a darling that needs to be beheaded and mutilated. Save it for another story if you like, but (paraphrasing Johnny Cochrane) if the scene doesn't fit, you must can it.
    Cogito, Aug 5, 2010
  2. DaWalrus
    Thanks, Cogito.

    Actually, I'm experiencing the chatter of a different kind: it's about that chapter I would like to shorten to a paragraph.

    One of the debaters is a boss or a professor telling me to write at least 500 words -- or else. But, I argue, condensing the same relevant information into a paragraph is more effective.

    Of course, if "the boss" is a potential reader, then it is clear who is right. My concern is leaving him/her hungry for visual detail. I am still leaning toward the more compact option.
    DaWalrus, Aug 6, 2010
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