Say What You Want To Say

So when is enough, enough? When do you take a step back from your writing and tell yourself that you’ve said what you wanted and maybe it’s a good idea to stop now? It can be a hard thing to do, and when you’re in the mood it can be impossible to limit yourself or stop at times. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to add more to your story, to add more details to your characters or their surroundings. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. The trick is knowing what is excess and what to trim out during the editing process.

The more you write, the more you start to see what is important in your story. You want to drive your story forward and not mire yourself in a gluttonous amount of detail. Detail is important, but too much detail can be a chore to read. Have fun with it, but also try to keep it focused on what you really want to say. Trust in your reader to be able to assemble the settings of your world with their own imagination, and add a few hints and details in your story to help guide them to see your vision.

Instead of describing each and every sequin on a lady’s dress, just describe the colors, its beauty, and the intricate patterns woven into the fabric of the shoulders, etc. The joy of reading fiction is allowing yourself to enter an imaginary world. Trust your readers and their imagination. Simplify your storytelling a little, and help it flow at a good pace.

Do this and you’ll cut down on your word count, make your editor a little happier, and you’ll finish writing more stories in no time! Have fun!