Picture the scene. You’ve taken the admiral step of writing a book. Now here you are, staring at ‘that’ passage, wondering for the umpteenth time, “Should it stay, or should it go?”
The prose sings. The research is impeccable. Yet someone — a trusted friend, colleague, beta reader, editor — has ‘suggested’ you delete it because apparently, they think “it has nothing to do with the main argument.”
Sound familiar?
The Art of Literary Sacrifice
As a writer, I completely understand why, after months or even years of extensive research from all corners of the Internet, you’d want to clutch desperately to those brilliantly written passages.
As a developmental editor, I’m often in the precarious position of trying to suggest that maybe — just maybe — those three pages of clever metaphor you’ve written aren’t serving your reader.
And those seemingly annoying comments from beta readers? They aren’t spiteful. They’re often valuable constructive criticism from a reader’s perspective to help you refine your work.
Think of your manuscript as a garden. Some plants need pruning to flourish, others need to be relocated, and yes, some beautiful but invasive species need to be removed entirely for the good of the entire garden.
But how do you know which is which?
When you’re facing that “kill or keep” dilemma, ask yourself these questions:
- Does it serve your promise to the reader? Every non-fiction book makes a promise — to inform, transform, or solve a problem. If your poetic piece of prose doesn’t directly contribute to fulfilling that promise, kill.
- Is it in the right place? Sometimes the content is valuable, but it disrupts the narrative flow. The research might be fascinating, but if it breaks the momentum, consider moving it to a sidebar, an endnote/footnote, or an Appendix.
- Is it repetitive? You’ve made this point before, haven’t you? Writing a manuscript takes months, often years, which makes it a challenge to keep track of key ideas. Often, you end up revisiting those ideas multiple times from different angles, causing repetition – something your editor or beta readers will immediately pick up on. If you or they notice repetitive ideas, choose the strongest one and let the others go.
- Is it purple prose? Purple prose is outdated language, heavy jargon, or buzzwords that serve no purpose other than fill the page with wordiness. Expressions like “needless to say,” “it goes without saying,” “to all intents and purposes” and others like them might sound charming in spoken language but are unnecessary in non-fiction writing where the focus should be on writing as concisely as possible.
- Do you miss it now that it has been cut? Be honest about this one too. Once the ‘offending’ piece has been culled, have you adversely affected the point you’re trying to make or the rest of the Chapter? If your only defence is “But I love it!” Seriously. It has to go.
When to Keep Your Darlings
Not all editorial decisions end in a cull. Sometimes, the material that feels problematic is essential but needs development rather than deletion.
Keep material when:
- It addresses a critical counterargument. Example: Jean Boulton’s book “The Dao of Complexity” (see my Portfolio Page, Copyediting, item no. 1) deftly combines the teachings of Dao De Jing with modern complexity theory, both of which present an idea of the world as fluid, emerging, and processual. Each section draws heavily on Daoism, yet they are critical as a counterargument to the traditional, ‘old school’ view of the world based on classical physics as made of things and events.
- It offers a unique perspective. Example: “Digital Business Strategy” by Garvan Callan (see my Portfolio Page, Developmental Editing, item no. 1), is a detailed how-to on designing, building and future-proofing a business in the digital age. His first few chapters focus on the often, rudimentary tools that humans used throughout history to innovate for the next era. You’d think this would have nothing to do with digital business strategy, but it works perfectly to highlight both the evolution of innovation and our innate desire to adapt to keep moving forward.
- It provides necessary context. Example: In “Free Your Anxious Mind In Just 14 Days” (Developmental Editing, item, no. 2) the author Tim Patch has included a detailed story of his challenges with anxiety and those of his elderly mother-in-law. Both provide context for a book that shows anyone of any age how to overcome anxiety and panic attacks.
The Resurrection File: Never Truly Delete
Here’s a tip: don’t permanently delete anything substantial. Create a “resurrection file” where you store cut material. This serves two purposes:
First, it makes cutting psychologically easier. You’re not killing your work; you’re relocating it.
Second, these cuts will find life elsewhere. The section that didn’t make it to a relevant Chapter might become:
- blog posts that direct attention to your new book
- social media posts to do the same
- the seeds of your next book
- notes for a speaking engagement
- a deeper dive for your newsletter subscribers
Practical Steps for the Cutting Process
If you’re facing a manuscript that needs substantial pruning:
- Start with structural editing. Look at entire sections first rather than individual sentences. The big pieces are where you’ll make the most impact.
- Extract the good stuff. This might sound crazy, but it works. Instead of starting with what to cut, identify the essential material you must keep and put it into a new document. Sometimes what’s left behind makes the cutting decisions obvious.
- Get specific beta feedback. Ask beta readers to mark sections where their attention waned or where they felt the material wasn’t delivering value.
- Create distance before deciding. Flag questionable sections, leave them, and move on to a different section altogether. Return to questionable sections after a few days when you’ll see things from a fresh new perspective.
- Track the purpose of each section. Create a simple outline that states what each section contributes to your overall argument. If you struggle to articulate a section’s purpose, that’s a red flag.
The Courage to Kill, The Wisdom to Keep
When you’re truly stuck on a cutting decision, return to your ideal reader.
Will they devour all the content or skip to the “good part”?
Editing requires courage and discernment. The courage to let go of your attachment to a piece of work and the wisdom to recognise what must remain so that it serves your ideal reader.
And remember, your readers don’t know what you’ve cut. They only experience what remains, so make every word earn its place on the page.