Confessions from a Putter-Inner

So far I still need to slash 117 words from my final memoir if I am to adhere to the revision formula in Stephen King’s On Writing:

2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10%.

Despite having cut entire paragraphs from my first draft, I nevertheless continue to slip in new words that seem to breed new sentences, and before I know it, the new stuff exceeds the amount deleted. Maybe I am trying to incorporate too many of my reviewer’s suggestions; perhaps I am simply a verbose and puffy writer. Whatever the case, the math is going in the wrong direction.

I loved the revision process King illustrated in his book; his “undressed” and “clothed” examples made editing appear so simple. However, in reality, revising, particularly pressing the delete key, is harder when the words are your own “little darlings.”