Social media hashtags: #DailyLines, #GoTELLTheBEESThatIAmGONE, #Noitisntdoneyet, #SOON, #workmanship, #example
A couple of days ago, I was reading a discussion about manuscript size in the LitForum, and a writer working on his first novel asked—“If you think your manuscript might be too long—how you decide which words to cut?”
He got a lot of useful answers and comments, and I answered him, too—but since my answer involved a snippet from BEES, I thought y’all might be interested in the technique, as well as the snip itself. (If you don’t care about writing techniques, but do want to read the excerpt, just scroll down to “FINAL(ISH) VERSION.”
Answer to the Question: “How do you decide which words to cut?”
You cut the ones you don’t need. The very last thing I do to a manuscript before sending it to the assorted editors (in US, UK and Germany) is what I call “slash-and-burn:” I go through it one word at a time, chanting (silently) “Do I need this word? Do I need this sentence? Do I need this paragraph? Do I need this scene?” And if the answer is no, I pull it out (mind you, I don’t throw them away (I value my work, whether I use it or not <g>); I just park them in a file called the Assembly Buffer and save it, so I can pull things back in if I change my mind or realize that I do need X because it’s attached to a later Y that won’t make sense if X isn’t somewhere, even if not where I originally put it).
Mind you, I do this in medias res, too; I don’t save it all for the final days. <g>
Here’s a brief passage, then its assembly buffer, and then the final (for now…) version:
[Excerpt below is non-spoilerish, but it is from GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE, Copyright © 2019 by Diana Gabaldon]:
ORIGINAL VERSION
Over the next few weeks, the—you couldn’t call them “warring,” nor even, really, “opposing”—but certainly “differing” approaches to God on offer at the Meeting House had collected their own adherents. Many people still attended more than one service—whether from an eclectic approach to ritual, a strong but undecided interest, a desire for society, if not instruction—or simply because it was more interesting to go to church than it was to sit at home piously reading the Bible out loud to their families.
Still, each service had its own core of worshippers, who came every Sunday, plus a varying number of floaters and droppers-in, and when the weather was fine, many people remained for the day, picnicking under the poplars and [elms?], comparing notes on the Methodist service versus the Presbyterian one—and as the congregations were largely Highland Scots possessed of strong personal opinions, arguing about everything from the message of the sermon to the state of the minister’s shoes.
…[omitted text (because it has a spoiler in it)]
After each of the morning services, I would take up a station under a particular huge horse-chestnut tree and run a casual clinic for an hour or so, dressing minor injuries, looking down throats, and offering advice (along with a surreptitious (because it was Sunday, after all) bottle of “tonic”—this being a decoction of raw but well-watered whisky and sugar, with assorted herbal substances added for the treatment of vitamin deficiency, alleviation of toothache or indigestion, or (in cases where I suspected its need) a slug of turpentine to kill hookworms.
Meanwhile, Jamie—often with Ian at his elbow—would wander from one group of men to another, greeting everyone, chatting and listening. Always listening.
“Ye canna keep politics secret, Sassenach,” he’d told me. “Even if they wanted to—and they mostly don’t want to—they canna hold their tongues or disguise what they think.”
“What they think in terms of political principle, or what they think of their neighbors’ political principles?” I asked, having caught the echoes of these discussions from the women who formed the major part of my pastoral Sunday surgery.
He laughed, but not with a lot of humor in it.
“If they tell ye what their neighbor thinks, Sassenach, it doesna take much mind-reading to ken what they think.”
“Do you think they know what you’re thinking?” I asked, curious. He shrugged.
“If they don’t, they soon will.”
ASSEMBLY BUFFER
(with explanation of changes—or not)
[I took these out because they weren't necessary, and removing them improved the flow and clarity of the sentences.]
—you couldn’t call them “warring,” nor even, really, “opposing”—but certainly “differing”
—strong but
—[poplars and [elms?],]— Hmm. Do I want specifically-named trees, or should it just be “picnicking under the trees” for brevity? (Also, would you find elms in the North Carolina mountains in the 18th century, and would they be growing near poplars?) Normally, I go for specific details because it helps fix the scene visually, but not sure about this one… I mention a particular tree a little later in this passage, so I think this time, I’m going with “trees.” Shorter, and improves the rhythm and euphony of the sentence. This is background for what’s going to happen at the bottom of the page, so no need to embroider more than necessary.
being (plus assorted punctuation). Better clarity—and as this is Claire’s viewpoint and narrative, the sentence fragment is acceptable.
[I considered removing these (below), but didn't:]
[if not instruction]—
[piously]— ditto, this one. Do I need that word? Yes, because it evokes a particular mental image that “reading the Bible” doesn’t quite cover. It’s also a judgement from Claire’s point of view—that’s how she sees the attitude of the Bible readers—and this is her voice.
[Punctuation and minor corrections.]
, and (the paragraphs here are rather long and dense-looking. I want to break up the sentences and make them more readable)
Add missing parenthesis after “hookworms.”
Change “decoction” to “concoction” (a decoction is boiled, which would drive off the alcohol from the whisky—and thanks to an alert reader of the original post who brought that to my attention!)
… [omitted material]
[ After each of the morning services, I would take up a station under a particular huge horse-chestnut tree and run a casual clinic for an hour or so, dressing minor injuries, looking down throats, and offering advice (along with a surreptitious (because it was Sunday, after all) bottle of “tonic”—this being a decoction of raw but well-watered whisky and sugar, with assorted herbal substances added for the treatment of vitamin deficiency, alleviation of toothache or indigestion, or (in cases where I suspected its need) a slug of turpentine to kill hookworms.]—
[Now, at first glance, this paragrah looks ripe for breaking up into shorter sentences and eliminating words, but I'm not going to. It's a direct rendition of the way Claire thinks—in layers, referencing each other—and (more importantly <g&rt;) give a capsule sense of what her morning surgery under the horse-chestnut tree is actually like: a parade of assorted ailments and her quick handling of them to the best of her ability. This comes well into the book; readers with no patience for parentheses will have abandoned ship long since...]
The end part, I’m not changing anything. I normally fiddle enough with the dialogue and underpainting as I go that it’s pretty much as it should be, and this is clean. Sentences short and clear, but giving what they should in terms of information and attitude.
So—
FINAL(ISH) VERSION:
Over the next few weeks, the different approaches to God on offer at the Meeting House had collected their own adherents. Many people still attended more than one service, whether from an eclectic approach to ritual, an undecided interest, a desire for society, if not instruction—or simply because it was more interesting to go to church than it was to sit at home piously reading the Bible out loud to their families.
Still, each service had its own core of worshippers, who came every Sunday, plus a varying number of floaters and droppers-in. When the weather was fine, many people remained for the day, picnicking under the trees and comparing notes on the Methodist service versus the Presbyterian one. And being largely Highland Scots possessed of strong personal opinions, arguing about everything from the message of the sermon to the state of the minister’s shoes.
After each of the morning services, I would take up a station under a particular huge horse-chestnut tree and run a casual clinic for an hour or so, dressing minor injuries, looking down throats, and offering advice (along with a surreptitious (because it was Sunday, after all) bottle of “tonic”—this being a concoction of raw but well-watered whisky and sugar, with assorted herbal substances added for the treatment of vitamin deficiency, alleviation of toothache or indigestion, or (in cases where I suspected its need) a slug of turpentine to kill hookworms).
Meanwhile, Jamie—often with Ian at his elbow—would wander from one group of men to another, greeting everyone, chatting and listening. Always listening.
“Ye canna keep politics secret, Sassenach,” he’d told me. “Even if they wanted to—and they mostly don’t want to—they canna hold their tongues or disguise what they think.”
“What they think in terms of political principle, or what they think of their neighbors’ political principles?” I asked, having caught the echoes of these discussions from the women who formed the major part of my pastoral Sunday surgery.
He laughed, but not with a lot of humor in it.
“If they tell ye what their neighbor thinks, Sassenach, it doesna take much mind-reading to ken what they think.”
“Do you think they know what you’re thinking?” I asked, curious. He shrugged.
“If they don’t, they soon will.”
This excerpt and explanatory text is from GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE, Copyright © 2019 by Diana Gabaldon. Please do not copy and paste the text in this post (whole or in part) to any other webpage, social media account, or anywhere else. Kindly share this URL instead:
http://www.dianagabaldon.com/2019/09/bees-workmanship-example/
And thanks to Beatrix Brockman for sharing her lovely bee photo.
I also posted this excerpt and information about it in this blog on my official Facebook page on September 2, 2019.
I look forward to the next parts of Outlander.
greetings from Warsaw
Dana Sobieraj
Dear Dana,
So nice to hear from you in Warsaw!
Happy Holidays to you and yours,
Diana
I think I liked “elms” better than trees. . . . the details sound more like the author I’ve come to know (smile).
I also think “but not with a lot of humor in it” is still a bit awkward. . . wonder if (1) Jamie would have snorted (that Scottish noise) rather than laughed and (2) wondered about shortening “with not a lot of humor”, but don’t have a reasonable suggestion.
No need to reply. Looking forward to books 9 & 10 and continuing to live the beginning of the nation vicariously!
I would suggest “without much humour”.
I am not a writer but I am completely obsessed with Outlander. I love the entire series of books, having read them all more than once. I appreciate your imagination and that you are willing to share it with the world. Thank you.
What a joy to read this snippet of your long awaited “Bees”. I enjoy reading your method of writing as well as the story itself. As a dedicated and obsessed reader, I am drawn to writing also. That may or may not ever come to fruition, but no information is ever wasted, I believe. Your writing has ruined me for most other writers and I constantly feel that lack as I devour books anyway. Thank you for enlarging my world.
I just bet this is a painful process. It reminds me a bit of how I have to weed out plants once they take root to give the keepers room to grow. I feel so apologetic when I go through this process, as if I’m killing something I brought to life. Well, that IS what I’m doing after all.
Thank you for posting this Diana. I found this very interesting, as I often wonder as I read your books what your mental process is. Very generous of you, your the best!
Love all your books Diana, and although I’m really looking forward to finally having Bees, the reading experience just wouldn’t be so rewarding without all your hard work & meticulous research! I enjoy reading the excerpts but it’s like giving a starving woman a breadcrumb… never enough!
Just one minor suggestion – is it necessary to have “a” before station, (as in your position under horse chestnut) or should it be be “take up station”?
Thanks for giving me & millions of others so many pleasurable hours reading your books.
FYI: For the past few months that I’ve noticed, when I go to your website, I see “Not Secure” before your web address in the search bar. It isn’t anything from our Norton security. Can you tell me what/why this is?
Thanks, Michele
Hi, Michele,
Good question! Diana’s webmistress here.
The “Not Secure” message pointing out that you are visiting a website that hasn’t upgraded to HTTPS yet, and is from your web browser. For Diana’s website, your sensitive information is not collected when you visit, so HTTPS is not vital.
HTTPS is a newer web security protocol which was designed and adopted to make online banking and online purchasing safer several years ago. It also has encryption features to help make unsecured public Wifi networks safer, like the free ones in airports, restaurants, stores, and other features.
I am in the process of converting Diana’s website to HTTPS. When that is completed, the “Not secure” messages will not appear any more.
Cheers,
Loretta
Diana’s Webmistress
.
I love this series! I love the way you write, I can sit in a comfy chair and go back in time. The way write brings everything to life. I have watched a few episodes of the tv series but I prefer the books. Thank you for sharing your awesome talent with the world of readers.
I absolutely love your creative process and your ability to get to the meat of the story with your editing technique.
As I’m in the editing stage for my own book, I appreciate the advice…especially to keep an “assembly buffer” file. – I made the mistake in the past to delete certain phrases and sentences, only to later realize I could’ve utilized them elsewhere.
Love you books have read all even lord John books over and over can’ Wait to read the feet of your books and see the series on T V
Thanks Diana. I greatly enjoy reading your thought process on different characters and word choices.
Greetings this first day of autumn…big sigh!
Having followed your writings from the beginning, i have often noticed your writing has improved noticeably with each book. It was wonderfully good to start but with the last few, you have raised the bar so high, i fear you spoil our reading of any other authors. (It MIGHT explain why many of your readers feel such a lack of satisfaction in most of the reading done while waiting for your next book…BIG grin!) In reading your example of how you “slash/burn,” it makes me ask if this method was used from the very beginning or it evolved bit by bit as you progressed.
Thank you for releasing the excerpts as you do…much food for speculative thought! Looking forward to your announcement of impending publishing…maybe as a holiday gift…LOL
Love reading your writing. Today I learned I even love to read your writing about writing. (I have read your posts before, and during the long wait for “Bees” I limit myself to looking for new excerpts only every six weeks or so. So, I have found a bit of perspective, for me.
Your voice is straightforward and consistent, whether it’s Claire speaking, or you writing about writing, revising and editing.
So little in the world stays true to itself over time that I appreciate the oasis that is all things Outlander.
Hope your earlier mention of finishing the writing this year holds true. Now realizing what comes next, I will revise my hope for a publication date from 2020 to 2021 (maybe early 2021?) (I should note we are about a year apart in age…so there is, not urgency, but some sort of a clock ticking on the series for each of us.)
May life grant you peace, and even half the happiness you give your readers.
In Bees, there is an incorrect memory reference to when Jamie went out naked to fix a leak in the cabin roof in Like a Catamount. The actual weather was snow, which leakwd, hitting Jamie. He picked up a hamjer, shingle and nails, preparing to go out and fix the link in his woolen shirt–which Claire out a stop to. This is referenced in Drums of Autumn.
I am sad that we will not be the new book til next year.
Everything said this year but looks like that is not going to happen
Pat Kuna
Pat,
Nowhere did I say that BEES would be published (ready for sale in bookstores or online) in 2019. I did say I was going to try and finish the writing and background research by the end of 2019.
Once it is completed, my U.S. publisher (and those in some other countries) will set a publication date, probably some time in mid-2019, but that isn’t carved in stone. The publication, distribution and marketing of a book are complex.
You can read about this process in one of my 2015 blogs, “What Finished Means to an Author,” at
http://www.dianagabaldon.com/2015/08/what-finished-means-to-an-author/
It will be worth the wait, I think!
All best,
Diana
Hello Diana,
Loved reading about your writing process. I also can’t wait until “Bees” is published! I am a recently retired Kindergarten teacher and I have taken up the writing process in writing and now illustrating a children’s book about animals. I will try and use your method of re-reading the books and asking myself if every work is absolutely necessary to the story. Thanks so much, and keep on writing!!!
P.S. I enjoyed hearing you speak and briefly meeting you at the Book Fair at USC a few years ago.
Hello,
Here I am this lovely fall day, perusing the GoodReads website and wondering when will the next book be released. I thought I read from your site that we fans could look forward to an October release date? Hopefully it will be soon. Your books are marvelous and the series is a superb adaptation. Thank you.
I’m realy looking forward to have your book in my hands and start reading it. Please hurry.
Thank you for creating such a Story and sharing it with us.
Thank you for your books, which I enjoy enormously. I have noticed that the French language, when used, can vary somewhat in accuracy. If you don’t yet have someone lined up, I’d be happy to help. However, I realise that your books are translated into French, as I read Drums of Autumn in translation. Maybe your translator has already offered.
Very best wishes to you and your family.
Hi, Aurore,
When my books are translated from English into other languages, the publisher in each country provides a professional translator that they feel would be best for the job. So far, my books have been published in more than 23 languages, I think is the number.
But thank you very much for your kind offer!
All best,
Diana