Finishing a manuscript is a huge accomplishment, but typing “The End” does not mean the book is finished.
One of the most important parts of editing is learning what to remove.
Writers often focus on what they need to add—more description, deeper emotion, stronger dialogue, better world-building—but sometimes the best way to improve a story is to cut what is slowing it down.
Removing unnecessary words, scenes, characters, and explanations can make your manuscript tighter, clearer, and more engaging.
Before you send your book to an editor, beta reader, agent, or publisher, look for these ten things you may need to cut.
1. Unnecessary Backstory
Backstory helps readers understand your characters, but too much of it can bring the story to a halt.
This is especially dangerous in the opening chapters.
You may know everything about your protagonist’s childhood, previous relationships, family history, and career, but your reader probably does not need all of that information immediately.
Ask yourself:
- Does the reader need this information right now?
- Does it affect what is happening in the current scene?
- Could I reveal this information later?
- Can I show this through dialogue or behavior instead?
Give readers enough information to understand the character without handing them the character’s entire biography.
Backstory works best when it is revealed gradually.
2. Repetitive Information
Writers often repeat information without realizing it.
Maybe you have already established that your heroine does not trust anyone, but then you remind the reader of that fact in three more scenes.
Or perhaps a character explains something in dialogue that the reader learned two pages earlier.
Trust your readers.
Once you have clearly established something, you usually do not need to explain it again.
During revisions, watch for repeated:
- Character descriptions
- Motivations
- Memories
- Plot information
- Emotional reactions
- Explanations
Repetition can make a story feel much longer than it actually is.
3. Filler Words
Certain words quietly sneak into manuscripts and multiply.
Common examples include:
- Just
- Really
- Very
- Suddenly
- Actually
- Basically
- Probably
- Somehow
- Quite
- That
Not every one of these words needs to disappear, but many can.
For example:
Before:
She was really very angry about what he had said.
After:
She was furious about what he had said.
The second sentence is stronger and more direct.
Search your manuscript for your favorite filler words during editing. You may be surprised by how often they appear.
4. Excessive Dialogue Tags
Dialogue tags such as said and asked are useful because they tell readers who is speaking.
But you do not need a dialogue tag after every single line.
You also do not need elaborate tags such as:
- Exclaimed
- Retorted
- Proclaimed
- Interjected
- Articulated
- Vocalized
Often, simple tags disappear into the background.
Even better, you can occasionally replace dialogue tags with action beats.
Instead of:
“I don’t believe you,” Sarah said angrily.
Try:
Sarah shoved the chair away from the table. “I don’t believe you.”
The action tells us how she feels without explaining it.
5. Scenes That Don’t Move the Story Forward
Every scene should earn its place in your manuscript.
A scene should ideally accomplish at least one important purpose, such as:
- Advancing the plot
- Revealing character
- Increasing conflict
- Developing a relationship
- Providing necessary information
- Raising the stakes
If a scene accomplishes none of these things, you may not need it.
Characters eating breakfast, driving across town, getting dressed, or having casual conversations can sometimes be skipped entirely.
Ask yourself:
What changes because this scene exists?
If the answer is nothing, consider cutting it.
6. Overexplaining Emotions
One of the easiest ways to weaken an emotional scene is to explain the emotion after you have already shown it.
For example:
Her hands trembled as she opened the envelope. Her stomach twisted. She was nervous about what she might find inside.
The first two sentences already show nervousness. The final sentence explains something the reader understands.
You could simply write:
Her hands trembled as she opened the envelope. Her stomach twisted.
Readers enjoy interpreting emotional cues.
Give them room to do it.
7. Unnecessary Characters
Every named character gives your reader another person to remember.
If you have several characters performing similar roles, ask whether some of them can be combined.
For example, perhaps your protagonist:
- Confides in one coworker
- Gets advice from another friend
- Goes shopping with a third friend
Could those three characters become one stronger supporting character?
Combining minor characters can simplify your story while giving the remaining characters more depth.
This is especially useful if you find yourself wondering, Wait—who was that person again?
Your readers may be wondering the same thing.
8. Weak or Redundant Description
Description helps readers imagine your story world, but describing everything can slow the pacing.
You probably do not need to describe every piece of furniture in a room.
You also do not need to describe every movement a character makes.
For example:
She reached toward the cabinet, opened the door, grabbed a mug, closed the cabinet, carried the mug to the coffee maker, placed it beneath the machine, and pressed the button.
Unless making coffee is extremely important to the scene, you could simply write:
She made herself a cup of coffee.
Focus your description on details that reveal character, create atmosphere, establish setting, or affect the plot.
9. Filter Words
Filter words remind readers that they are experiencing the story through a character rather than allowing them to experience it directly.
Common filter phrases include:
- She saw
- He heard
- She noticed
- He realized
- She felt
- He wondered
- She thought
- He knew
For example:
Filtered:
She heard footsteps coming down the hallway.
Stronger:
Footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Or:
Filtered:
He noticed dark clouds forming over the mountains.
Stronger:
Dark clouds gathered over the mountains.
Removing filter words can make your writing feel more immediate.
You do not need to eliminate every one, but cutting unnecessary filters can strengthen your point of view.
10. Anything You Are Keeping Only Because You Love It
This may be the hardest one.
Sometimes a sentence is beautiful.
Sometimes a joke is hilarious.
Sometimes a scene was incredibly fun to write.
And sometimes it still does not belong in the book.
Writers often hear the phrase “kill your darlings.”
It does not mean you should remove every line you love. It means you should be willing to cut something you love if the story is stronger without it.
If you cannot bring yourself to delete something permanently, create a separate document called something like:
Deleted Scenes
or
Cut From Manuscript
Move the passage there.
That way, you are not destroying it. You are simply removing it from the current version of the story.
And occasionally, that deleted material may inspire another scene, short story, bonus chapter, or future book.
Cutting Doesn’t Mean Your Writing Was Bad
Removing something from your manuscript does not mean writing it was a waste of time.
Sometimes you need to write a scene before you understand your character.
Sometimes you need five paragraphs of description before discovering the one sentence that matters.
Sometimes you need an entire chapter before realizing the story should begin later.
Those words helped you find the story.
They simply do not all have to appear in the finished version.
A Simple Question to Ask While Editing
As you revise each paragraph, scene, and chapter, ask:
Would the story lose anything important if I removed this?
If the answer is no, try cutting it.
Then reread the section.
You may discover that the story becomes faster, clearer, and stronger.
Final Thoughts
Good editing is not only about correcting grammar or finding typos.
It is about making deliberate choices.
Sometimes that means adding a scene.
Sometimes that means rewriting a chapter.
And sometimes the most powerful editing decision you can make is pressing the delete key.
Be willing to cut anything that distracts from your characters, weakens your pacing, repeats information, or prevents readers from reaching the heart of your story.
Your manuscript does not need more words.
It needs the right words.
