How?
Here are five things to look for.
Many times "that" can be eliminated.
Example - "Did you know that tomorrow is a holiday?" "That" only takes up time and space. The meaning is the same without that word.
"Just" is often unneeded.
Example - "Now, wait just a minute!"
Up and down when understood from the context.
Example - She sat down in the grass. He stood up.
Repeated words. They may be great words, but they show up far too often. We all have them. When you spot a word or phrase used more than once within a page, perform a search for it. It's likely you used it in other places as well. When I wrote my first book, I didn't realize how many times the words "tiny" and "little" came on the page. In my defense, a hummingbird is tiny and little, but I should have found a variety of descriptive terms.
Replace as many adjectives and adverbs (end in "ly") as possible with active verbs. Some editors allow no more than one adverb for every three hundred words in a manuscript.
Example - "I'm getting out of here," He said angrily.
Better - "I'm getting out of here." He slammed the door behind him.
This will strengthen your writing and your readers will thank you for it.
After you have self-edited as much as you can, you will want to have your manuscript professionally edited. What type of editing do you need? Here are some tips.
Dear writer,
I commend you for taking the time to learn how to make your words count. While words are wonderful tools, we need to learn to use them wisely and judiciously. Too many words can frustrate the reader and take away from the beauty and power of the story.
I pray you will make every sentence and phrase be a blessing, and you will continue to hone your writing skills.
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