Ross Raymond Nunamaker

I mentioned this at the end of a Writing Journey II: Write Tight, and that is to write hot and edit cold.

Reading an interview from a literary journal of an author, this was their advice. I wish I could remember who it was to properly credit and thank them, because it has served me so well, I am writing about it here.

Or at least I was going to until I really gave the topic some thought.

The reality is you can’t edit until you know what you are editing for.

In fantasy there is tremendous discussion about world building, which tends to flow through to word count. I don’t write fantasy, but I love world building. I think of it more as setting and atmosphere.

I want places and objects to be characters. I want them to enhance the story.

My problem is too often I enjoy writing about the people and places and too little about what they discover or don’t and I wind up with something that is maybe well written, but isn’t a story.

Given that, I’m taking an online writing course to brush up on fundamentals and it begins with plot and story. It identifies two types, a quest and a stranger. One goes, one comes.

There is a character with a want and a weakness. There is rising action and a turn followed by a conclusion which requires a change in the character. This makes a story.

As I edit, I need to determine how clear:

• Who is the main character?
• What do they want?
• What is their weakness?
• How do they change?

There is more, but these seem to be essential.

With these four questions in mind I can edit.

I say edit cold, because you must do so based on function and not emotion.

A beautifully written line or expression must go if it does not serve a function. A character who is interesting, but not critical can not outshine or compete for attention with the main character.

Kill your darlings.

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it is a project management phrase to live by. I roughly apply it when writing.

Writing to a word count can help make tough decisions. If I have a 1200 word story, can it work as flash at 1000?

It requires cutting everything that is not necessary, which forces you to trust the reader by eliminating exposition.

This is cold, hard editing.

I once wrote what I thought was a good, engaging story of a little more than 1500 words spanning four generations. Completed, it was under 650 and one of my favorite CNF pieces I’ve written.

It works both ways.

I once started with a twelve word dialogue, which I knew wasn’t a story, but added items before and after. I had an end, ‘to remind mother’, but only a day later did I realize I hadn’t addressed why? One new opening of six words made it work and a story was complete with under 175 words.

Editing is not easy, especially when it is your own work. I always keep copies despite version control, because I fear losing what I thought was so well written. It will get lost and forgotten, and your writing will improve once you begin the agonizing process of editing cold.