Episode 204 - Meaningless modifiers and what to cut. episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 13, 2026 · 28 MIN

Episode 204 - Meaningless modifiers and what to cut.

from Essential Guide to Writing a Novel · host James Thayer

Some words don't add anything to a sentence other than confusion.   Here are several modifiers that our story is better without.  Also, is cutting ten percent of our manuscript a good goal when editing?  What should we cut to reach that ten percent? Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.Support the showBuy the master class.

Some words don't add anything to a sentence other than confusion. Here are several modifiers that our story is better without. Also, is cutting ten percent of our manuscript a good goal when editing? What should we cut to reach that ten percent? Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. &nbs...

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Episode 204 - Meaningless modifiers and what to cut.

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This episode was published on February 13, 2026.

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Some words don't add anything to a sentence other than confusion.   Here are several modifiers that our story is better without.  Also, is cutting ten percent of our manuscript a good goal when editing?  What should we cut to reach that ten...

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