» Quick Tricks to Trimming the Fat from Your Writing. Guest Post by C. S. Lakin Fat. Unless we are one of the lucky few with fast metabolisms who can ingest innumerable milkshakes and French fries without gaining an ounce, most of us (admit it) need to trim some fat from our bodies.
Similarly, our writing sometimes gets “a little soft around the waist.” Happily, it’s not all that hard to trim the fat off a piece of writing compared to shedding unwanted pounds off our bodies. But take heart! Eliminate fatty words from your “diet.” Reword passive voice where possible. Avoid circumlocution. Search and destroy repetition. If you’re the kind of writer that needs to “add weight” to your skimpy novel, you have a different challenge, and the problem won’t be solved by ignoring all the above tips. C.