Novel writing is sometimes called a “long march.” To me it feels more like I’m running a slow-motion ultramarathon that just started and will last for years.
Whatever your metaphor, it’s good for novelists to switch gears occasionally and run some sprints.
Whenever I feel I’m living on Pleistocene time, I throw open the windows, breathe some new air, and turn to Twitter fiction. At 140 characters, Twifics are over almost before they start, so excessive verbiage is ruled out by definition. You have to jump in with a cutting mentality.
Recently I’ve also had fun writing 100 word stories for the website Name Your Tale (submit a title, get a custom written 100 word story). One of mine is posted today.
Point being: a little forced minimalism can be a good thing if it lightens your verbiage-laden spirit and moves you toward a leaner-meaner writing mentality.
“Lessismore!” is the “Shazam” of any novelist who wants to improve a “finished” 600 page novel.
If you’re staggering under the load of your 600-page “big” novel, give yourself (and future readers) a break. Stand tall, shout “Lessismore!” and peel away 200 pages. You’ll find the imposed discipline will not only result in a more compact submission package, it will rack up across-the-board improvements throughout your novel. To tag it with a number, I’d say you’ll have made your novel at least 40% better.
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