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Topic: How to avoid exceeding word counts?
| Author | Message |
| Lynda | Posted – 12/17/2006 4:32:35 PM | show profile Whatever my word count, I always seem to go over and then agonise over what to cut out and what to leave in. I feel like whatever I cut out, it will ruin the flow of the feature. Any tips on how not to do it in the first place and how to cut a feature, when you're already over?! Thanks |
| Metro Writer | Posted – 12/17/2006 7:47:14 PM | show profile Write drunk, edit sober, but make sure that 1. You have to make sure that everything in your story is pertinent and that everything pertinent is in it. 2. Know your audience. What affects them most? Concentrate on that. Also, read good writers (e.g., Rick Bragg). If you read junk, you will write junk. |
| Village Gal | Posted – 12/18/2006 8:50:00 AM | show profile Maybe you are over interviewing and land up with too much info. |
| frantic | Posted – 12/18/2006 10:14:27 AM | show profile be harsh with yourself. But don't overcut The trick is to leave it for a bit, then go back and reread. You will see where you have overwritten. Cut excess description; repetitive info; phrases, sentences, and even whole paragraphs that you're leaving in just because you're proud of yourself for having written them but not because the piece needs them. Almost every piece ever written can be cut and be better for it. BUT-- don't overdo it. As an editor, I appreciate getting text that is slightly (slightly!) over word count. It gives me room to trim where needed, and flexibility if the layout changes. Do not EVER turn a piece in short. |
| Lynda | Posted – 12/19/2006 6:09:03 PM | show profile Thanks for your imput, guys. Really useful! |
| JeanMarie | Posted – 12/19/2006 7:49:52 PM | show profile As a working freelancer, always looking for the next story - can you ever really 'over-interview'? |
| kalin | Posted – 12/19/2006 8:25:07 PM | show profile Luci, I agree with frantic. There are uaully whole paragraphs you can cut. And never go short. Editors need something to do. ;) |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 12/20/2006 1:30:06 AM | show profile Definitely. Early in my career, I would sometimes do gadzillion interviews that I didn't end up using because it exceeded the amount of information I needed for the piece. Those extra interviews rarely resulted in other story ideas, and certainly that possibility alone wasn't worth the extra time. A freelancer's income depends a great deal on how efficiently you use your time, since most of us get paid on a project basis. The longer I do this, the less research and interviewing time I put into pieces because I better know what I need and what I don't need. --As a working freelancer, always looking for the next story - can you ever really 'over-interview'?-- |
| Writesonwater1 | Posted – 12/20/2006 5:21:34 AM | show profile | email poster Agree that too much copy results from more interviewing than may be strictly necessary. However, for me, chasing rabbits down interview holes sometimes has resulted in unique insights that change articles for the better. Unwarranted digging has made a story much improved on occasion -- or at least given leads for future pieces. Once, I missed a "critical" press conference for a national story -- major lawsuit against a border hospital because Hispanics were intimidated by their security guards, who were dressed in uniforms bearing a marked resemblance to the Border Patrol; suit alleged this was an effort to cut expenses caused by low income Hispanics, not just illegals. In my efforts to overcompensate, I got a great quote from the hospital administrator wondering aloud if in an effort to project nice, they should dress the guards in pink jumpsuits and purple backpacks. Called major hospitals in major border cities nationwide and found out what colors their uniforms were and researched color theory a bit. All agreed that green drab would be too military whereas hospital security are supposed to be "friendly." T hen, a coup -- I found the uniform supplier who said he sold the hospital the uniforms, and that they requested the outfits match the Border Patrol's to a T, right down to the federal patch. This digging was way over the top. 17 years later (my, I'm old) I'm still proud! ;) I say dig it. But keep your resources in mind, and that includes your valuable time. |
| Writesonwater1 | Posted – 12/20/2006 5:22:19 AM | show profile | email poster My apologies if the preceding post exceeds the prescribed word count ...;) |
| A~ | Posted – 12/20/2006 7:22:01 AM | show profile I can't believe nobody's said "show somebody your draft and get feedback from them". There's nothing like somebody other than the writer (somebody who doesn't covet each word and every point and jewel the same way the author does) who can easily point out the superfluous paragraphs. I have two or three people who I trust who are great at pointing out what I can't see in my work. For writers who come to me and say "there's just no way to pare this down further" I show them the page form my copy of the Bloomberg Style Manual showing the Old Testament in 850 words. Getting feedback is very good way to keep yourself grounded. And it doesn't necessarily have to be another writer or editor. I trust my mother's feedback (she's a visual artist that can't spell) more than the feedback of some of the editors in my office. |
| caitlinkelly | Posted – 12/20/2006 12:46:40 PM | show profile "Overinterviewing" can be a great source of future story ideas; once interviewing someone I discovered, chatting technically off-topic, they collect vintage racecars -- a story I sold multiple times. What appear to be meandering digressions can yield some good stuff. But doing a gazillion IVs can use up a tremendous amount of time, and all a freelancer has, on each piece to keep a profit, is their time carefully budgeted. As for writing to your word count, know what you want to say from the very start, then say it, and nothing else. That sounds stupid, but it's tempting to throw too much into a story and it gets too long very quickly. Depending how much you can ask your editor for help or direction, make sure you know exactly what they want or expect, and that will help stop the last-minute rearranging. Difficulty cutting once you're over suggests to me you're too attached to some part of it, as you knew going in what the word count was...so, as the oldsters say "kill your babies" -- look for the very sections you most like and figure out to trim or cut them entirely as these may be your blind spots. However simple-minded, use your word count function every 100 words if this is a persistent problem; some people really know how long they're going as they write and others do not. |
| Homer | Posted – 12/20/2006 2:33:08 PM | show profile "Babies?" I thought it was "murder your darlings" ;) Either way, it's a crime for the author to do. As an editor, I found it relatively easy to slash and burn another writer's work but agonized over my own. Nothing better than an objective eye with an alibi... (No, I have no idea what that means either. The holidays are taking their toll!) |
| bmorewriter | Posted – 12/21/2006 1:51:29 PM | show profile When I first started freelancing I mentioned to one of my favorite editors that I was having trouble getting started on writing a story because I had so many notes. He said, "put away your notes and just sit down and write the story as you remember it. Then go back and correct/fill in the details and add quotes." I don't do that exactly but I do avoid just whittling down and rearranging my notes the way I once did. I try to start with a blank page, make an outline and then cut and paste the quotes in rather than starting with a document full of notes and deleting what I don't want (hope that makes sense). It forces you to focus on the most important things (the ones that stick out in your mind). And I agree with the other posters that you need to really look at your work with a critical eye and make sure you're not just keeping stuff because you like the way you wrote it. It's tough, no doubt. |
