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Kill your darlings
For a writer, deleting often feels like the murder of his / her loved ones. Still, this can benefit your story. You have carefully worked out the characters, storylines, and locations.
You have poured your soul into it, and suddenly you should delete? Remember that this will make your book better. Deleting detailed elements will make it more powerful.
How do I start? Ask yourself the following questions when you are eliminating:
- Does the reader need the information to understand the story?
- Are all these characters needed? Or can I delete some?
- Does the reader need so many details to understand the main character?
- Are some descriptions not too long? Do they add value?
- Is this sentence not too complex?
- Does the reader have room for imagination? Or am I bombarding him with details?
A reader is impatient and wants the story to move forward. The author must ensure that the rhythm of the book. Killing your darlings will compact your story and add more balance to the storylines.
On to the next step: Come up with a (brilliant) title