Editing is an ongoing process for me. I just can’t seem to stop myself from making bitty changes here and there. I really dislike editing, but I seek perfection. Like that’ll happen. haha I continue anyway in the hope I can make my manuscripts just a wee bit better.
Then there are my problem sections. These are parts which I simply have to cut or do a complete rework. How do I know I’ve come to that moment? Simple, I hit a spot in my work which I absolutely hate to edit. I can look at the chapter for days on end, dreading it, hoping I make it to the end. These scenes really just need to go. Cause really, if I can’t stand it, what makes me think a reader wants to suffer through it? 
The thing is cutting massive chunks of my precious material hurts. It hurts a lot. What if I need those parts later? Besides that, I’d worked so hard to get them down in the first place. Well tough! Sometimes writers just have to let go. I have to let go! And so I do it! I cut those parts that I cling to like lifelines. Cause really, they’re not saving anyone. In fact, they’re more like weights dragging my manuscript underwater.
Okay, I’m talking a big game here. I’m really a pack rat and have a hard time throwing away ANYTHING. So what do I do? I have a special folder I keep all my discarded scenes in case I need to bore myself at some later time. It’s my way of letting go without letting go.
So! How do you know you need to cut a scene or seriously revise it? Is it easy for you to do away with your not so great stuff? What methods do you use to do it?
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Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she’s known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for “just one more purchase.” Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.
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