: Re: I am overplotting my story - how can I figure out what is necessary and cut out what isn't? I have recently discovered that the plot and cast of characters of my novel is so unbelievably

@LarsenBagley300

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(I think you know what you have to do ... It hurts, but do it.)

Here's the format I would follow to cut darlings in your situation. I'll assume you are writing a novel, some sort of fiction.

Do you have a main character? (Or do you have an ensemble cast.) I'll assume one main character.
If you have a main character, is there a single 'high stakes' idea that this character works toward?

This is the conflict - and through a series of try/fail and try/succeed, the main character will reach the climax of the story and either succeed or fail in the final 'try.'

Everything else should go. It will hurt, but less so than 30 years ago when we worked on typewriters. Save the bits that you cut for other stories.

Subplots are great - and it sounds like you have many - this gives you the option to pick the best one and ditch the rest.

See your situation as an opportunity. You have a block of marble in front of you. You see the art in it. You know that perfectly good marble will be lost when you take that chisel to it. Sculpt that baby anyway, into a masterpiece.

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