The Revision Technique That Cut 20,000 Unnecessary Words

I remember staring at my manuscript, proud of the words I had put down, but knowing something wasn’t right. It felt bloated, dragging in places, and I couldn’t deny the nagging feeling that it needed serious trimming. But the idea of cutting tens of thousands of words from something I had spent months—maybe years—crafting felt like literary betrayal.

Then, I stumbled on a technique that saved me from endless frustration. This one simple method transformed my work, cutting 20,000 unnecessary words without sacrificing meaning, depth, or character. It made my writing sharper, clearer, and more powerful. And here’s the kicker: it can do the same for you.

Why We Hold Onto Unnecessary Words

Before we dive into the technique, let’s talk about why we, as writers, often bloat our manuscripts. It's easy to fall in love with our own words, especially after spending so much time crafting each sentence. We become attached to the flowery descriptions, extra scenes, or witty dialogue, convinced that every word is essential. But here’s the truth: it’s not.

Most of the time, our first drafts are stuffed with filler—words, sentences, even entire paragraphs that don’t serve the core of the story. We overwrite out of fear: fear of not being understood, fear of…