Mozart vs. Beethoven (on Wordiness)

Sorry it’s been a minute since an update. I’ve been moving across town these past couple of weeks, and I sorta lost track of time and all that. But I’m back!

I’m hard at work on the third (and, dare I say it, FINAL) draft of the novel - which I have officially decided to call Oneiromancer. This third draft, as mentioned in one of my previous posts, is the one that gets the most meticulous treatment - I edit grammar and syntax like my life depends on it, carefully dissecting each sentence to make sure I’ve chosen the best possible sequence of words.

What I’ve discovered, as I’ve been editing, is a fact my best critics have pointed out to me for years: I am a terribly verbose writer.

Now, I’ll admit: I’d rather be this way than not. It’s better, I think, to have a full range of vocabulary on hand when you’re telling a story; better to be long-winded when you’re trying to belabor a point; better to - ahh, look here. This sentence is already getting too long. And that’s the point I was going to make. I think it’s easier to cut out of sentences than add to them, but a good writer knows (hopefully) that you gotta cut those sentences if they’re going to be readable. Do some readers enjoy long, winding passages of prose? Sure. But not the majority.

Here’s an example:

A
few decades ago, Philip may have shown a more prominent display of emotion.

This is a good sentence, but it’s a little long. “A more prominent display of emotion.” That’s a mouthful. What if we pared it down thus:

A few decades ago, Philip might have actually shown some emotion.

A little shorter, but it still makes the point.

And I think that’s the key to good writing: you want to say exactly what it is you’re trying to say in the most economical way possible. The first part can be hard: clear writing is difficult for a lot of people. But you can get that part down and not the second. It’s possible to be clear but cerebral, to give your readers a headache.

Notice I said “in the most economical way possible.” Not “in as few words as possible.” Sometimes, you need those long and garish sentences. Sometimes they are a big help. Sometimes they are necessary. The key to editing, I think, is to know when and where to cut.

I’ve heard it said before that there are two types of creators: Mozarts and Beethovens. The former let their story, their art, their music, etc. flow right out of them, and then go back and edit accordingly. The latter painstakingly edit details as they go, struggling to get the work out, but once they do they’re almost finished. I am most definitely a Mozart. It’s easier for me to let everything flow out, then go back and edit. In this sense, I take after Stephen King - I don’t like planning out my novels too much. It robs the experience of its…ahh…novelty.

But just as Mozart went back and made adjustments, I have to make sure I do so too. To leave things as they are, in this too wordy state, is simply bad writing.