- Watch for parts where your attention flags. You might need to cut something.
- Cut “very”, “quite”, and most adverbs and adjectives
- Cut cliches
- Make note of major revisions and come back to them later to be sure they stick
- Look out for purple prose: unnecessarily complex, flowery writing that serves no specific purpose but to sound sophisticated. Even if you love that sentence, put it away for later (or never).
- Avoid trying to evoke emotion with exaggerated, dramatic wording. Be precise and specific instead.
- Make sure every page includes visual language
- Cut Metaphors and similes that don’t work
- Cut unnecessary digressions, filters, padding
– Notes from Stein on Writing, by Sol Stein
