The Ten Percent Solution (from the book, Appendix 2, available from Fairwood Press) by Ken Rand Reprinted from Maelstrom #3.

Problem: An editor wants your article, but you wrote 3,000 words and she only wants 2,700 words. Solution: The ten percent solution.

I found this idea when peddling my humor columns a few years ago. An editor said they were loose, rambling and about ten percent too long.

The ten percent solution met that editor's needs. It works in fiction and non-fiction, even query letters and outlines, any style or length.

You can use it to make more sales--and more money.

Here's how:

First, when you write, don't be too concerned about length. Just put on your writer hat and write. Make sure your lead is engaging, your examples concrete, your transitions smooth, your body entertaining (or informative, if you're doing non-fiction) and your conclusion a clean wrap. Check grammar, spelling, voice, agreement--all that writerly stuff. Finish it. Then set it aside.

Second, toss away your writer hat, don your editor hat and cut your story by ten percent. As you edit, inflated prose will jump at you. You'll realize you can do with three rather than four examples, that you have a quote too many, that one can be paraphrased, another shortened.

Before you know it, you've cut ten percent. (Or so. The title is a convenience, not a fixed objective. Don't be arbitrary about this. If you go about this too arbitrarily, you may cut too much--or too little.) Best of all, what's left reads--and pays--better.

Some things to look for to trim the fat without cutting the meat:

1. of. When this word shows up, cut. For example, change "mother of the boy" to "the boy's mother."
2. -ing. Words that end in '-ing' may lead to cuts. For example, change "using fewer words will sharpen your style" to "use fewer words to sharpen your style." This also helps provide an active voice.
3. -ion. Words that end in '-ion' tend to appear formal. They often have three or more syllables. Look for shorter synonyms.
4. three syllable words. Again, longer words are often harder to read and more formal. If you can find a shorter word, use it. But be careful. When you change a word, you change meaning. Be a thesaurus-thumper and you'll see when cutting long words works and when it doesn't.
5. contractions. Change "I would" to "I'd." Again, this'll help condense, but be careful. Contractions may be too informal. Know when they work and when they don't.
6. was and were. These are passive voice. Active voice both strengthens and shortens prose. Again, be careful not to distort meaning for brevity's sake.
7. commas. Watch for commas in a sentence. They often flag points where whole phrases can be cut.
8. lists. Find padding, error and contradictions in lists.
9. quotes. Paraphrase where you can. Cut quotes to the bare bones. What remains will stand out.
10. titles. Change "Assistant Governor's Public Information Officer" to "Spokesman."
11. adverbs. Cut them--ruthlessly. Use the search and find function of your computer to find "ly." Often this will highlight a deleteable adverb. (Whenever you come across a highlighted, possibly questionable word, ask yourself three questions about the word: 1) do I delete it without distorting meaning? 2) does it say exactly what I wanted to say? 3) would an alternate word do a better job of saying what I wanted to say?)
12. said. Attribution lets your readers know who is speaking your dialogue, but when Mary and John are speaking alone in a room, you needn't follow "How are you, John?" with "Mary said."

There are more. Make your own list. In time, you won't need it.

Always ask yourself, "If I cut, will it hurt meaning?" If so, leave it. If not, you've found a place to apply the ten percent solution--and improve your chances to sell.

(Extra credit assignment: edit this article using the ten percent solution. Of course you can do better.)

The 10% Solution is now available at fictionwise.com in ebook formats, and as a chapbook from amazon.com.

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Copyright © 2000 by Ken Rand

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