Thread: I know I bang on about ruthless editing, but...

I find a lot of what I read and, indeed, what I first attempt, is overwritten. As an illustration, I pass on what was, we are told, Hemmingway's favourite short story, it says everything that needs to be said of a family tragedy in just 6 words:

For sale, baby shoes, never worn.

Yes, I've seen that before. It leaves most of it up to the imagination of the reader, and I'd bet most of us here have some form of active imaginations. Would it still work for those who don't?

I get your point that too much liberty is taken with indulgences in writing sometimes. Not all writers write the same, or have the same style. If they did, reading would be a waste of time. Some genre's are more lenient when it comes to particular aspects of writing, but fortunately, scifi and fantasy haven't been fallen into any one rut.

I feel it is as easy to over-edit as it is to under-edit. Take out too much and it could end up bland and lacking in passion for the sake of tightness.

Originally Posted by procrastin8or

I feel it is as easy to over-edit as it is to under-edit. Take out too much and it could end up bland and lacking in passion for the sake of tightness.

That's where skill and practice come in.

I tend to write for people with active imaginations, like my own. I personally hate tons of detail and description in stories that I'm trying to read. It takes me out of the story. The way I feel is, no matter how you write, someone isn't going to like it, so I write what I personally would like to read. Both in the nature/genre of the story, the content, the characters, and description. I have made the mistake of over-editing at times too though, deleting entire chapters that were actually decent in a fit of self disgust, lol. Oh well, live and learn.