E.N. Gussler

Editing, as we all know, can be the most difficult part of the writing process. Deciding how to make make your manuscript the most polished version of itself carries some heavy weight. Oftentimes, we have to cut large sections of a scene, condensing them into only a few lines, or eliminating them all together. It’s all in the name of chasing that “perfect” draft, so it’s worth it…I think.

This week, I did just that. It wasn’t a scene, or a few lines either. It was a whole chapter!

Truly, I thought I’d be mourning the straight-up deletion of an entire chapter, but I’m not.

As I’ve been going through the editing phase, I have had a few places where I have second-guessed myself and the manuscript. Not in the “is the story good enough” or “am I talented enough” sort of way, but in the “is this the best version” and “does this part serve a crucial purpose” sort of way.

And the whole second chapter…wasn’t.

Knowing that literary agents, editors, and publishers will often ask for the first ten pages or the first two to three chapters of your manuscript had me taking a good hard look at everything. As I was staring at the half-way point of BETA reader notes (round two), it kept nagging at the back of my mind that I should go back to the beginning and do a read-through up to that point.

When I did that, Chapter two just started to feel…flat.

It wasn’t “bad” writing. The reader was immersed in the world, all the senses engaged and quick, but impactful character elements were peppered in there. BUT, it wasn’t exciting. Comparing it to the first and the third chapter, it felt dull. Which gave it an “info-dump” feeling.

So I cut it. Straight-up highlighted and hit delete.

I have a feeling there will be a few more chapters that I cut entirely. All in the name of the “perfect draft”.

Chop, Chop!