First – and this is the most important step – write a novel that is 35,000 words too long.
Be told by several people that you really ought to cut some of that. Agonize over every word for a month and manage to cut 15,000 words. Rejoice!
Realize that the novel is still 20,000 words too long. Decide it will be a problem for future you.
Let the novel sit for two years.
Revisit, because finally you really need to trim that beast down. You ask your betas to point out places that should be cut, places where the plot dragged or they got bored. Your editor highlights entire chapters. Realize that those two years actually made it easier for you to see what you can cut. Notice a few patterns:
– You over describe everything.
– You over describe everything.
– You really like to talk about sand.
– You over describe everything.
Begin cutting a word here and there. Then a paragraph. Now, drunk on power, start cutting entire pages. Cackle maniacally. Stay up too late. Drink too much coffee.
Convinced you’ve cut at least 10,000 words, doublecheck your word count.
You’ve only cut 300 words.
Yell into the void that is Twitter. Pour another cup of tea. Start again with a word here, a word there. Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Congrats! You’ve cut 10,000 words. You still need to trim another 5-10k. You wonder if your editor will notice. You know she will.
Decide it will be a problem for future you.
K. A. Doore 