Few Words, Big Impact: Step One in Being a Writing Ninja

I have learned to recognize the wide-eyed look of fear in the eyes of an author when I return their manuscript to them for revision. Like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car they face the reality of having to…gulp…write MORE WORDS!

An awful feeling, I know.

Completing a draft is an accomplishment, and writers rightfully celebrate sending it off to their editor. Basta! they think. I’m done!

Aha, but not quite. Fortunately, having to make changes to your manuscript doesn’t necessarily mean making LOTS of changes to your manuscript… or even adding (or deleting) a large number of words. You can do a lot with a little.

Breaking Windows

“It’s amazing what three letters can do,” my friend Scott observed, our freshman year of college. “There’s such a difference between breaking windows, and breaking wind.”

Let that sink in a minute.

You can make radical changes to your manuscript with few letters—with few words. You can change the tone, from bland to funny, or from funny to sad, with small adjustments. You can enhance clarity the same way. The fact that the IMPACT on the reader is immense does not mean that you’ve had to write War and Peace to get there.

Try Seemingly Small Changes in Your Manuscript

Your turn. Where in your manuscript do you want to make a significant-seeming change? Do you want to add foreshadowing, perhaps? Are you trying to make your reader laugh? How can you do that in an economical way?

You may want to take several passes at this. First you can try a paragraph, but if possible, get it down to one or two sentences. In some cases, a few words—or even one—will suffice. Pro tip: adverbs are empty calories; so are most adjectives. Eliminate or use only to taste.

Read the passage out loud to yourself in the original (before the changes), and after, and listen to the sound. My bet is you’ll be surprised what you can do without writing an encyclopedia.

What if your style of writing is already economical in its approach?

Maybe you already successfully channel your inner Hemingway—no excess words anywhere. In your case, I suggest adding a sentence. Create a transition at the end of a scene or a chapter. What “beat” can you add, like in theater or the movies, to allow your reader to fully soak up that scene, section or paragraph? I have seen writers leave the scene of the crime—the emotional landscape or intellectual aha moment—of their book too soon. One sentence. Do it now—you might amaze yourself.

The bottom line

Volume does not equal power. We can dilute what we’re trying to say when we’re too verbose. Practice breaking windows—make a big impact with small changes. Note: this is definitely NOT a first-draft technique! Use only once you’ve started revision. If you’re feeling brave, I’d love to see your before and after.

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Need help getting clear on your book? Want to get out of your own head? Let’s chat. I currently have a one-on-one coaching spot available.

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