Reply #13: Cutting Helps You See What is Essential and What is Not; [View All]

[petgoat]

I go through a lot of pruning, regrowth, pruning, regrowth cycles. So
in a 10,000 word piece I might cut 2500 words but add 1000. And then do
it again, and again.

I can see the work is closely observed. You've really been there, and
that's what makes the best of it so powerful. And your work over the
years shows, too. But the wonderful thing about the computer is that
you can easily try different versions, and you can always revert to the
original if the changes aren't right. Cuts can be really painful. I
rarely put back what I've cut, but sometimes I do. You've got some
really good material there. I don't know that blockbusting has been
covered in fiction before, and it was an important and destructive
element of those times.