: Re: Cutting down the length of a short story I'm writing a short story for an assignment at school - but I'm having trouble keep it short. I have a habit to go off on a tangent quite a bit,

@Welton431

Vote Up Vote Down

I have this habit as well. Saying the same thing in less words while getting across the same meaning is a big part of skillful writing composition.
If you want to trim your work but keep the meaning, try to find where you can "Compress" sentences, or even combine them. Read through multiple times and see where redundancy and unnecessary detail occurs that add nothing to what you are focusing on.
With that being said, focusing on your point will require the above regardless. Try looking at each of your paragraphs and asking what they are leading the reader to; what is the point of your story and is what you are leading the reader along accomplishing the point of your story, and are you doing so by showing not telling?
The Purdue Online Writing Lab, specifically this page, may be of great help to you:
Common Pitfalls for Beginning Fiction Writers

(0)

Login to post a comment!