You wouldn't believe the number of times I've been asked about word count, or heard variations on the comment, "My novel was rejected because it was too long." In some cases, that may be true, but in many cases, it isn't the word count that caused the rejection; it's the fact that the author used too many words. Keep in mind, that doesn't mean the same thing.
What I'm talking about here is padding. It's long strings of adjectives. Her eyes aren't just blue. They're always sparkling blue. Or they're limpid pools of blue. His hair isn't just brown. It's always brown curls. Or brown waves. Or whatever. You get the point. It's a pattern in the writing of always using two or more words when one will do. It's tedious narrative and exposition without much dialogue or action. It's fine to set the scene, and in many cases, it's imperative to do so, but page after page of describing the garden, or the fields, or the sunset – no matter how lyrical – is dull. Editors see this a lot – and they get tired of it.
Adverbs are a particularly big problem because they are so repetitive. The sentence below is a common example of what I mean:
"I am terrified," Susan said fearfully.
Susan has already said she is terrified; why would the author need to tell us she has said it in a fearful manner? Perhaps that seems extreme, but I see manuscripts that are rife with similar constructions. If there are more than a few, it simply isn't worth the time to consider the manuscript any further.
If you are concerned about the length of your book, be sure to tighten it up as much as possible before submitting it anywhere. Here are a few suggestions to help:
- Make sure you aren't always using the same physical description for the characters. For example, if you have referred to the heroine as "exquisitely beautiful," once, do not refer to her that way again. The same goes for descriptions of locations.
- Use the "find" feature in your word processor to search for "ly" and review your use of adverbs. In the case of adverbs, less is nearly always better.
- If you have more narrative than dialogue, you need to cut some of the narrative or try to convert it to dialogue.
- Review the ways in which you've used adjectives. Really think about how necessary they are to the story. For example, if you've described "rough grey stone walls," – are all those words necessary? Does it really matter that they are rough? That they are grey? That they are stone? Maybe it does; but you should be sure of that if you are concerned about the length of your book.
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