Edit your work - cut the bad bits out mercilessly
Summary
- Cut out the parts that are not grreat
Details
- Mark Twain would read his work to his family. If the audience looked bored, he would cut that section
References
Quotes
Mark Twain was perhaps the best storyteller of modern times. When editing his writing, he would read aloud to his wife and kids. When a passage caused them to look bored, he would cut it. When their eyes widened, when they sat forward or furrowed their brow, he knew he was onto something, and he doubled down.
Even within a good story, a powerful phrase or sentence can do most of the work. There is a saying that people don’t remember books; they remember sentences.