Day 16: Making every word count

[Scott Lamb]

Time: 15 minutes​

Every piece of writing benefits from fresh eyes — even your own. An edited piece of writing benefits from being seen again anew, and with the needs of the reader even more clearly in mind. The good news is you can be your own editor, especially when you’ve gained some distance from your work. And you’ll need that today, because you’ll be saying goodbye to some of them.

Today’s assignment: The kindest cuts​

Now, at long last, we edit—with an eye to cutting.

What to do: First, keep your main message in mind—if it helps, write it on a post-it and keep it front and center. Read through your story, and cut anything unclear, doesn’t follow logically, or isn’t necessary. Ask yourself, “Is this going to be useful for the reader?” If the answer is no, cut it. You can also move things around if needed, but your goal today is to end with fewer words than when you started.

Time limit: Take the full 15 minutes, and make a few passes through the piece, looking for places you can cut & clarify.

Goal for today: Tighter, more focused article.

I hope today feels like a relief—editing is when I often find my ideas come most fully into clarity. You have your ideas down on the page already, editing is about making them clear. If it helps, listen to someone else reading the piece when you’re done (click the three-dot menu at the top of the draft page in the editor, click “Share draft link,” and then copy that link into a new window in your browser and and hit the listen button), chances are you’ll hear one or two more things that can go.

That’s it for today. Zulie will be back tomorrow with some more ideas on making edits to get the rough edges sanded down.

— Scott

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Day 16: Making every word count was originally published in Just Start Writing on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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