Since Liz and I both wrote recent posts on revisions, it’s no secret what we’re doing. I recently critiqued one of her subs, and I told her “cut until it hurtsâ€. I normally write fairly tight, but in my revisions, I’m doing the same thing. If I don’t, Michelle, who is the queen of tight writing (she stole the crown from me), will let me know about it. 
Theresa, who is posting her first Thursday blog at Romance Worth Killing For today, also weilds a wicked scissors.
We’re not the only ones writing tighter. Loretta Chase is one of my favorite writers. Recently I found one of her first books and it was denser, harder to get through. I compared it to her latest books and the newer ones are shorter. I did the same thing with some of my other favorite historical writers, and their newer books were shorter and tighter too. I’m guessing this is the same in other genres.
At AskAnAnswerAll, Shana Galan has this to say:
To tell you the truth, I think readers nowadays want fast-paced stories they can pick up and read for an hour before bed. I love writers like Georgette Heyer, but she is difficult to read. One has to think to catch all the humor. Right now, romance readers seem to want easy, escapist books.
Now I’m going to contradict myself by saying not every successful author writes tight. JK Rowling writes 500-plus page books. Despite the length, her scenes move. When the story is so good, it doesn’t matter if there are a few extra words–not even for her younger fans. And they aren’t books you can read an hour before bed and put down. At least, I can’t. I want to read her books in one very long gulp. How can I stop when I don’t know what’s going to happen to Harry, Ron and Hermione?
And some writers love description–and so do some readers. Liz can tell you more about this than I can. 
I like enough description to ‘see’ a place in my mind. Just the minimal, thank you. I’m not the only one. When a Nora Roberts’ character goes into a room, Nora doesn’t feel compelled to describe the décor. Readers are good at using their imagination to fill in the blanks.
In Valley of Silence, Nora’s vampire hero is dreaming of the meeting with the vampiress who turned him some 200 or so years before. Although she describes Lilith’s seductive beauty and clothing, this is the only description of the country pub where they met:
He thought, in the dim light of the public house, she was like a flame that burned at shadows.
As I read it, I didn’t notice the lack of description. It never bothered me.
Elmore Leonard said, “I try to leave out the parts that people skip.” What about you? Are you cutting until it hurts? Or do you think that, like the poor dog in the picture, some books are cut a little too close to the bone?
I think this has to stop sometime, because some books are so tightly written, that the reader doesn’t have ‘breathers.’
Books are marathons, not sprints, and without breathers, not all readers will be able to make through them.
I recently read a draft of a friend’s work. Amazing. If it doesn’t sell, I’ll be crying with her. But it’s a short draft. As much as I loved it, I had to take breaks from it in between because it didn’t have breathers.
May, that’s like scene and sequel. You need the scene, but the sequel gives the breather. Or sometimes it’s the anticipation, with the writer building the tension before the action. If it’s all action, it doesn’t work for me either.
Good luck to your friend. When she (or he) sells, let us know. And if it’s a draft, she might add in details and internalizing during the revisions.
Well, you know my view on tight writing, Edie.
I like a little meat with my stories. I love reading through description because it just makes it come so alive in my mind. I have to agree with May … sometimes you need to catch your breath between scenes. A moment to savor what you’ve just read. But that’s just me.
You want difficult and heavy to read? Try wading through Alexandre Dumas. Love his writing, but he’s painful to get through.
Love the picture, by the way. Too cute.
I cut until it hurts. Unless the room or the scene stands out in my head, I don’t think it’s worth mentioning. Tell me we’re in a night club and the music is bumping against the walls, people are grinding on the dance floor, and the drinks are coming by tidal waves. That’s all I need to know. I don’t care what color the lights are or the kind of pattern they’re using to circle the room or if they’re brightening up someone’s cleavage. Unless those lights land on a person of interest, I need the extra room to keep from going over 100,000 words.
Liz, your cat pictures inspired me to put up that dog.
I would never get through Alexandre Dumas. I just took out a WF by a bestselling author, and it was too wordy for me. I felt like I was wading through it. Yet other readers love her. Books are subjective. There’s room for everyone, but I’d still limit the description. Sometimes a little is just enough. I even cut some of my witty dialogue, because it was slowing down the pace.:cry: Now that hurt.
Marcia, I feel the same way–except I never worry about going over 100,000 words. The first draft of my wip came in at 93K, even though it was over 420 pages. I have a lot of white space. It will be interesting to see what this second draft comes in at.
Great blog, Edie. I’m currently doing that with a ms…reading through to find those paragraphs I just don’t need. I’ll keep your post in mind as I’m doing so.
Thanks, Eli. It helps to have a CP like Michelle. In fact, it helps to have all my CPs. We all find something different in a ms.
I just picked up a wonderful book (The Sunday Philosopher’s Club), but I can’t read it when tired. It meanders beautifully into little side stories that illuminate character or situation.
I love it, but at the same time I’m accustomed to fiction that doesn’t make me think. By the time I work for twelve hours … there’s just no brain power left. I find the situation sad, though, I really do.
Edie, I love the picture! If that dog only knew what people were saying when it walked by.
Recently, an editor told me that adjectives are like spices – too many and it spoils the soup. He was referring to my writing, so, I’m pulling away a few spices.
The irony of this is that I hate reading books with too much description. I’ll skip entire paragraphs; how a dress is cut, color, and it’s accessories is TOO MUCH INFO for me. And maybe Nora doesn’t use a lot of description, but she makes up for it with head-hoppin, and still sells. Same as Susan Eliz. Phllips who descriptions sound like copy for J.Crew. (BTW, head-hoppin I can live with.)
Moral of the story – tight works for two things; one is writing. You all can figure out the other.
Spy, if it meanders, I probably wouldn’t be a good reader for it, although I love the title. I know what you mean. One of my favorite writers has always been Jane Austen. A year or so ago, I picked up one of her books that I hadn’t read for a long time, and I couldn’t finish it. I’m used to faster paced books and it was too slow for me.
Kath, LOL about the dog. I hope his people did that because it was a hot summer.
I agree with the editor. I’m spare with my adjectives and adverbs. Nora’s head hopping doesn’t bother me, maybe because I expect it. I think she doesn’t do it as much now, and when she does, I always know whose pov she’s in.
I hadn’t noticed that about SEP. I’ll have to pick up one of her books and check it out.
And, no, I can’t think of the other way tight works. You’ll have to tell us.
I always have to add description because I’m VERY minimalist about it. I see it in my head but I don’t generally feel compelled to walk the reader through it (well except in my latest rough draft I’m working on, but it’s something very different and due to very little dialogue, more description has to carry it, it’s just one of those types of books)
But generally speaking I don’t do much descriptions. I see it in my head without feeling compelled to describe it and I trust that the reader can too. Besides, if I overdescribe, I may be describing what is aesthetically appealing to me or atmospheric to me, but it could kill it for the reader.
I’m glad to see a lot of people aren’t huge fans of description because I hate writing it.
I try to only write the really interesting stuff. I just don’t even bother telling the boring stuff. I try to keep it moving. And I really rarely do flashbacks. I might mention some past thing in exposition, but actually TAKING THE READER back, I almost never do it, unless there is a REALLY good reason, because that’s what I skip over. Unless a writer has just REALLY pulled me in, I skip over all full flashbacks when I read, and I honestly don’t miss much. I never get to the end and go: “Gee, i really wish I’d read that flashback now.”
Zoe, that’s interesting about skipping full flashbacks and not missing them. I always read them, but in my own books, I don’t write them.
Like you, I see descriptions in my head. Not only in mine. Someone can say, like Nora did, “the dim light of the public house”, and I know exactly what it looks like.
Ok, Edie, I almost couldn’t read the blog because the title with the dog picture had me laughing so hard I couldn’t stop!
I tend to write more and then go in and prune away. I used to add very little detail, then got feedback to add more, then got feedback to stop adding so much (will they just make up my mind already?!) so now I pile it on in the first draft then chop away in the second.
I loved this post. I am a huge proponent of efficiency in writing. Maybe that comes from my journalism background. Trim until it hurts. Economy, economy.
I suppose this goes back to my love for Poe who wrote that every paragraph, sentence, word, or punctuation mark should forward either plot, character, theme, or setting.
Becky, glad the dog picture gave you a laugh.
I just realized I need to go back and write MORE for a scene I wrote today. For this scene to come alive, I need more introspection. The protagonist needs to think about her childhood. So smetimes you prune, sometimes you bloom. 
LOL about piling it on all at once. I’ve found out more about my characters since I wrote the first draft, so I need to add some of that in. You did it the smart way.
Edie, don’t make me blush.
One more thing regarding descriptions. I’ve gotten comments from a few contest judges saying “Use the five senses more.”
So, who do I listen to? An actual editor or a person who volunteered to judge?
Stewart, I just read your blog. Loved your latest on fairies and magic. LaDonna, if you’re reading this, you should check it out. I know it will speak to you.
I didn’t know Poe said that, although I have read all the stories he’s written. It’s funny that he’s still being read today and most of his longer-winded peers aren’t.
Kath, I can’t answer that. I do use my five sense, although not at length and all five at once. It depends on the scene too. I just wrote a scene in a police department, and a character thinks it smells like sweat, puke and ammonia. Every writer does it differently.
Edie, I MISS those epics as you know. LOL. Count me in the doggie group who thinks some novels are too close to the bone! Less is not always best IMO. Clean writing is different. I went through a period last year where I didn’t finish many novels I picked up. I couldn’t put my finger on it either. Still a mystery. Not sure if they sounded too much alike, or were cut too close to the bone. LOL. I’ll get back to ya on it. And thanks, I read Steven’s fairy post. I have one I’ve yet to post too. I believe!
LaDonna, I guessed you’d like a slower, meandering story.
I go through periods like that too, where I don’t want to finish anything. I even keep books around, thinking maybe it’s my mood, but usually it isn’t.
When you figure out what it was with the books, let me know, please.
Edie,
that picture is priceless.
I can’t say I’ve ever cut quite THAT drastically. 
I’m somewhere in the middle ground when it comes to description. I like more than you probably do, definately more than Michelle. Description to me adds texture and flavor and characterization.
With that said, I also think that more than three or four specific and strong details per every page or two is worthless. More than that and the reader will skim. So I tend to make my descriptions work extra hard. If I can get them to flesh out the setting, establish mood and inhance character, then I’m happy with them. Otherwise, they get cut and I’ll use something else.
Kate,
Sounds like we take the same approach. I pile the description on first draft too. It’s how I establish the setting and atmosphere in my mind. Then with each successive draft I cut, and cut and trim and then cut somemore.
Theresa
Theresa, your descriptions definitely establish mood and enhance character. You do a fabulous job! Funny that you said 3 or 4 details. 3 details are what I used to aim for. I think I read it somewhere. I stopped doing it when I noticed bestselling writers no long did. (Some of them, anyway.) We should have a long talk about this in emails. LOL, this could be another blog on the subject.