Cutting, Part Two

Wednesday I talked about cutting scenes from your novel... And today I'm going to talk about something even more difficult:

Cutting Characters

This is, without a doubt, the most difficult thing to do as a writer. Not only is it tricky and time-consuming to go through and remove a character from existence in an entire novel, but it can also be a painstaking process that leaves us far more drained than writing them ever could have done. 

But here, again, are three ways to know when a character needs to be cut, and three things to help you handle the cutting. Beginning, of course, with knowing when to cut:

1. They're a minor character who's taking up too much limelight

2. They're a minor or semi-minor character who simply takes too much time and attention, even if all that means is that they talk too much and it's too much trouble to shut them up

3. They confuse the main object of the story, or add too much unneeded flavor to their scenes

Those are pretty easy to spot, aren't they? Sometimes, of course, we'll have to ask someone else's opinion (which is another reason why I believe that every book we write needs to be read by at least one person while we're writing it--so we can ask them for help along the way). 

Now, my three things to remember when cutting characters: 

1. If they're taking up too much limelight, it probably means that they want a book of their own

That means you'll be able to spend more time with them later, because you'll be able to dedicate a whole book to them--even if it is in a different setting, time, or world altogether. 

2. If they're taking up too much of your attention, remember that you'll be helping your audience to understand your main characters more fully

Devoting too much time to minor characters only detracts from the beauty of our stars, the ones who should have the most light and life in our work. 

3. If they're adding too much flavor, remember that vanilla is a flavor too

Maybe without them your story seems more vanilla, maybe it's not as you'd imagined it would be the first time around, but that's okay. A little vanilla never hurts anyone, and too much cayenne definitely can. 

I hope this helps you writers out there, and I hope you'll be joining me at www.RAD-Writing.com this Tuesday (January 27) for the release of my new book! Don't forget, you can already pre-order now at Rad's Online Store

[love and excitement]

{RD}