Thanks for sharing! Sometimes less is more indeed with our stories, and ideally we need to streamline them so that with each scene in the story we reveal theme, move the story forward or connect to the character growth. Sometimes we can get distracted by all the shiny things we can put in our story but if it's not moving the story forward and just bogging it down, then we need to recognize that and cut it.

denise

Donna, you put this perfectly! Thanks for sharing. It reminds me of how I had to let go of editing my work as I wrote, as it was preventing me from finishing my first book. When I finally let that go and gave myself permission to write that first, messy draft I was able to write THE END, and that was so freeing because then I knew I could do it again, and again.

Fae, I'm glad this was helpful! Oh, and a good editor is a gem! I have found this out too myself with them helping me cull and shape to make the story the best it can be. It's a challenging and fulfilling process. I think, we also create memories with our WIPs too. I recall what I was doing and where I was in writing scenes and how they came to me. So, it makes it especially hard to cut things from it too.

Thank you Rhonda! It's interesting as I've found that the process for me with first drafting can change from book to book. Some books call to be written chronologically and some others are written out of sync. But I agree, it's whatever works for you!

Julie, I know just how you feel! I am revising a beast of a manuscript now and painfully cutting scenes I love. I also cut two characters I love, for the same reason - they did not move the story forward or connect to the main character's arc. And I placed these parts all in a document to save as well. If it makes you feel hopeful for them, let me tell you that I wrote my first book long ago that never went anywhere and sits in a shoebox. However, years later I pulled it out and used a battle scene from it in the 2nd book in my middle grade series that is published. So yes, those scenes and characters can creep in to other places unexpectedly in the future!