How to reduce your word count

Writing too much is easier than you think, and before you know it, you have a ton of backstory, random scenes, unnecessary perspectives, peculiar chapters, and overexaggerated or drawn-out scenes that need to be chopped, sliced, cut, or filed down.

Enough adjectives for ya? 😉

This is especially helpful if you’re still trying to figure out your authorial voice, but in this post, I’ll include both macro and micro changes. Some of you may be looking for a complete demolition of your word count, while others may just need to meet a requirement for a publisher, contest, etc. Reducing your word count can serve more purposes than saving money with your editor or meeting contest guidelines. The more you hone your writing style, the stronger your writing becomes.

Macro changes

Consider what perspective you’re writing in

By understanding the perspective you’re in or what narrative style you chose, you can cut out unnecessary scenes or chapters that don’t serve the arc you’re focusing on.

Every character with a perspective has a role in the plot (or in the character arcs you’re developing). If you catch yourself writing scenes from a tertiary character’s perspective or incorporating thoughts that the character we’re listening to shouldn’t know, you have some simple, easy trims ahead of you.

Do you have unnecessary backstory?

If your reader has to read your prologue to understand the story, I suggest a bit of rewriting. If you think your reader “just needs to keep reading; it gets better,” pull out your figurative scissors. Get your reader interested in chapter one. Not five. Not three. And, not the end of chapter one, either.

Look for those scenes you wrote when you were trying to figure out how your character(s) play into the story. Read through the narrative that looks at a character’s past or explains their behavior/thoughts.

Are these things believable without you telling readers? If you cut it out completely, will the story change? Is there a simpler way to share this while strengthening the image now that you know all that the image should entail?

Use your early-draft uncertainties to your advantage and target them first. Writing is not meant to be perfect the first time.

Look at your longer scenes or chapters and ask yourself why they’re long

Scenes that involve fighting, fleshing out relationships, romance, intrigue, and surprise are common problem areas because moments like these are typically pivotal in a story. You don’t want your hero to win too easily, fall too fast, or see logic too soon.

It helps to imagine your scenes like they were movie scenes. Let it play out, or ask someone to read the scene and tell you whether they remained engaged, along with how long they felt it lasted.

When deciding whether to trim or remove, always consider what would happen if it wasn’t there. Then determine how important it is to the story as a whole. The more important or more complex a scene, the more time you want to spend on it. If you need a rule of thumb, page through a couple of similar scenes in published books to get a feel for what your genre drifts toward. Again, the significance of that scene to the story matters, so keep that in mind.

As a side note, the same goes if the narrative style warrants it.

Do you have any “meanwhile . . .” chapters?

This is more common in objective or omniscient novels, but chapters that attempt to pass time can usually be cut without remorse.

If you fill a chapter with details about something happening while your main character does something else, why? What will be lost if you remove this scene or chapter? Is it meant to serve a function to your readers (e.g. a plot device to increase tension for readers)? Is it meant to show a “normal” side of things?

After you figure out why you have the chapter, you can determine whether it’s worth it to keep it.

Micro changes

Condense your sentences

A quick way to condense your sentences is to look for past progressive, or progressive, if you’re writing in present tense.

Grass was swaying in the Easter breeze. | Grass swayed in the Easter breeze.

Not all instances of past progressive will need to be changed. Consider the meaning and intention of your words. Even changing the construction of a sentence can change the reader’s interpretation.

It’s all in the details

If you really have to, or if you’re really trying to nail down your habits and tendencies, you can always shorten a sentence. Almost. This trick is especially helpful if you know your writing can get a little wordy. Here are some things to look for:

• Passive voice. This isn’t the same as past progressive voice (e.g., I was waiting for his call). This is when the car was washed by no other than your crush. You won’t find as many of these as you might think, but when cutting back on passive voice, look for sentences where the target is being acted upon. Or where the subject of your sentence becomes the object (see above sentence). Typically you can turn these around, and this is when your crush washed the car.
• Adjectives. If you have “very pretty” women, try removing “very.” Naturally, you can ideally take out “pretty” and show me what pretty means, but we’re talking about reducing word count, right? That said, if it’s an adjective and describes the noun in one word or more, can you cut it? Is there a stronger word that still fits the narrative voice we’re aiming for? No, don’t cut out all adjectives. I’m not saying that. But, use your best judgment and read it with and without the adjective. Many times, you don’t need it, or there’s a better word that will also fit.
• Unnecessary words. This is also subjective, and you’ll want to use your best judgment, but words like “that,” “very,” “the,” “just,” and most adverbs can be removed if they’re used excessively. If you can remove a word and the sentence doesn’t change much, do it.
• Condense dialogue. Dialogue tags don’t always need elaborate detail. If the speaker is implied, remove the dialogue tag completely. If your dialogue tag is elaborate—”‘Bite your tongue!’ she screamed with authority.”—condense that booger unless it poorly affects the pacing, imagery, or flow of the scene. Don’t try to use fancy verbs, but use the one that makes your point.

Never put too much focus on the trivial details if you don’t have to, but sometimes you need to meet a specific word count, and even a couple hundred words can save the day.

Good luck cutting, and have no mercy!