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Focus through the edit

Get yourself a good pair of scissors.

David Gane
David Gane

A common problem with first drafts is overwriting.

We pad our sentences with glue words and muddy paragraphs with unfocused writing.

As you rewrite, ask yourself the purpose of every word, sentence, and paragraph. Make it defends its intention.

Then cut anything that distracts the reader from this intention.

Make the working words pop and remove the glue words. Keep the rhythmic phrases and poetic imagery, but tighten them up. Don’t hide your beautiful writing behind boring language.

Good writing comes from knowing what to keep and what to cut.

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David Gane

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Co-writer of the Shepherd and Wolfe young adult mysteries, the internationally award-winning series, and teacher of storytelling and screenwriting.

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