When starting a new novel, many writers struggle with wordiness – the tendency to use more words than necessary to convey an idea. As a writing coach, I’ve seen this challenge repeatedly with authors working through their novel’s early chapters.
“I get wordy” is a common confession I hear from writers, particularly those who’ve completed a first novel that ended up longer than expected. Many notice that their prose starts out relatively tight, but as they work to find their flow, the writing begins to expand rather than contract.
This concern resonates with many writers, especially those in the early stages of a manuscript. The struggle between exploration and precision is real, but finding the right balance is essential to crafting a compelling narrative.
The Exploration vs. Precision Spectrum
I like to describe writing as existing on a spectrum. On one end, you have writers who meticulously craft each sentence in their head before committing it to paper, trying to make every word count from the start. On the other end are those who write whatever comes to mind just to hit word counts, like NaNoWriMo participants who might go off on unrelated tangents just to reach their daily goals.
Both extremes have drawbacks. Being too precise too early can stifle creativity and slow your progress, while being too loose with your writing can create a mess that’s challenging to edit later.
The problem with the ultra-precise approach is that you’re doing too much work in your head to figure out the perfect words rather than just getting ideas down on the page. Most writers find they’re better off working with what’s on the page and then refining, rather than trying to perfect every sentence before writing it.
The Clay Metaphor
I often use a helpful metaphor to describe the first draft process: your draft is where you’re making the clay that you can later shape and refine in revision.
This visual perfectly captures what early drafting should be – creating raw material that you can later shape, refine, and perfect. Without enough clay to work with, your final sculpture will be limited. But the clay needs to be of a workable quality – not just any random material thrown together.
When Wordiness Serves a Purpose
The writers I work with frequently realize that what feels like wordiness actually serves important functions: “It’s helping me find the characters…show the setting…explore internal thoughts.”
This points to an important truth: sometimes what feels like excess is actually necessary exploration. When you’re discovering your characters’ voices, understanding their motivations, or building your world, you might need to write more than will ultimately end up in the final draft. This “exploratory wordiness” serves a vital function in the creative process.
Practical Strategies for Managing Wordiness
Through years of coaching writers, I’ve developed several practical approaches for those concerned about wordiness:
- Use brackets for potential cuts: Put brackets around paragraphs you suspect might be too wordy. This allows you to keep them for now but marks them for potential removal later.
- Focus on forward momentum: Don’t get caught up in revising early chapters while still drafting. Keep writing forward, knowing you can fix earlier sections later.
- Set reasonable daily goals: Set modest word count goals (perhaps 250-300 words) and allow yourself to exceed them when the writing flows well. This builds confidence while maintaining quality.
- Stop at strategic points: Avoid stopping when you don’t know what happens next. Instead, get the next scene rolling, establish momentum, and then stop. This gives you a natural starting point for your next writing session.
- Print and review selectively: Rather than reviewing the entire manuscript continuously, print just 5-10 pages of a problematic section to review with fresh eyes.
The Second-Guessing Trap
Perhaps the most common issue I see is self-judgment affecting the writing process. Writers who have been away from their manuscript for a while often return with heightened self-criticism. When you’re not fully immersed in the creative flow, you tend to judge your work more harshly.
The remedy? Keep showing up, trust the process, and remember that the final shape of your work emerges gradually.
Embracing the Middle Ground
The most successful writers typically occupy the middle of the spectrum – neither obsessing over every word choice in the first draft nor throwing words on the page with reckless abandon. They write with purpose but allow themselves the freedom to explore, discover, and occasionally wander down paths that might later be trimmed.
I often remind writers of this important perspective: “Give yourself permission to be wordy when it serves your creative process, knowing you can always refine later.”
For writers starting a new novel, this might be the most valuable insight of all – the goal isn’t perfection in the first draft but creating material rich enough to shape into something remarkable in revision.
Remember this mantra: “I can take this out when I edit it, but it’s helping me now.” This balance of permission and awareness will serve you well throughout your writing journey.
Starting a new novel and looking for more strategies to improve your writing? Reach out and I’d be happy to connect.
