#RevPit, if you're in a similar position, I have tips! 1. Filler and filter words. You can literally cut a few thousand words just by carefully (read: tediously) going through your filler and filter words. I have a huge list you can get at my website jenichappelleeditorial.com 1/🧵 - ThreadSky

jenichappelle.bsky.social • 2 days ago

#RevPit, if you're in a similar position, I have tips!

1. Filler and filter words. You can literally cut a few thousand words just by carefully (read: tediously) going through your filler and filter words. I have a huge list you can get at my website https://jenichappelleeditorial.com

1/🧵

Reposted from Beth Michaela...querying a dark twist on Romantic Fantasy.

Writing goals this wknd- trim 10,000 words from my MS for #Revpit. 🫠 Wish me luck.

And continue working on my WIP, which is coming so easily it's scary. It's such a reprieve from the query trenches. Writing feminist horror is cathartic.🖤

What're you working on?✒️

#amquerying #writingcommunity

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jenichappelle.bsky.social•2 days ago

2. Dialogue tags. Dialogue tags are primarily to keep the reader oriented. This means when only 2 characters are talking, you often only need dialogue tags every 3-4 paragraphs. Also, if you use a tag with a physical beat, you often don't need both. 2/🧵#RevPit

jenichappelle.bsky.social•2 days ago

Example:

"Blah blah blah," he said as he ran a hand through his hair.

vs.

"Blah blah blah." He ran a hand through his hair.

3/🧵
#RevPit

jenichappelle.bsky.social•2 days ago

3. Contractions. Contractions are your friend, no matter what genre or age category. Yes, even epic fantasy or space opera or historical fiction. Just be careful not to use too many along the lines of y'all'd've (which Word really does not like)

4/ 🧵

#RevPit

jenichappelle.bsky.social•2 days ago

One word of warning: Do NOT global search and replace!

For example, if you search "just" and delete them all, you could end up with someone "not ading well" rather than "not adjusting well"

Do you have any other tips to cut word count?
5/5
#RevPit

mythian101.bsky.social•2 days ago

I killed 3,000 words on average per manuscript by filter/filler words. It's amazing the watch the word count drop, but also balance out in the readably afterward.

bmfwriter.bsky.social•2 days ago

@jenichappelle.bsky.social, I spent a good part of my morning going through the resources on your website. (So helpful, thank you!) 💞

jeberger.bsky.social•2 days ago

Tip from my Legal Writing instructor, lo these many years ago: use your word processor to look for "ly" followed by a space. That will find quite a few of your adverbs. For each one, think carefully about whether it actually gets you anywhere. They often don't. If it doesn't, lose it.

jeberger.bsky.social•2 days ago

(E.g. the "actually" in the foregoing post. I have a serious problem with "actually" overuse. And semicolons.)

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