She walks in beauty, like the night

What many writers don’t realize is that muscular prose alone can’t lift a narrative. Any sentence, no matter how powerful, that serves no story purpose is nothing more than wasted words. Obviously, adjective pileups and unnecessary clauses and clunky diction must go. However, effective cutting involves more than line editing. You can also strike whole paragraphs – pages, even! For example, toss out that extra twist and the plot might become clear. Rather than reconstructing the pyramids in five paragraphs (despite that week you spent cruising the Nile), pick the two best and let readers supply some of their own building materials.