be prepared to cut huge swathes ….eeeeek….scary….. see below.
Take a deep breath and plunge right in.
When in doubt about whether a passage should stay or go, create a LEFTOVERS file and move it to there.
When you have finished for the day review the leftovers. Is there anything there you still need?
As you work your way through, examine the clichés. What precisely do you want to convey? E.G. His eyes were as blue as the sky. Why precisely are his eyes important? What do they tell you about the character? When you know that, you’ll find it easier to find a fresh way to write it.
Examine any jargon. Sometimes a specialised word is appropriate. But jargon is often used to impress, confuse or cover a lack of knowledge. Used like this it will muddy your meaning, deaden your writing and irritate your readers.
Examine the passages where you leapt on your hobbyhorse, sermonised or harangued the nation. Ask : How much of this is essential? Relevant? Could you convey the ideas more effectively through the actions of the characters?
Examine the passages of pernickety detail. Too much detail can confuse the point you want to convey. Ask : Which detail is the most telling? Which is essential?
Examine the transitions from the end of one section to the next. You will start to see how they can be bridged. If you are still unclear leave it till the next draft.
If you need to research something, focus on the essentials. Many of the details in your story will change so, avoid days researching something that you may cut later on!
THE BIG FEAR OF DRAFT TWO.
I’ll cut so much that there will be nothing left!
Do not fear. As you rewrite, many more ideas will come to mind. You’ll find better ways to express them. New scenes will suggest themselves, old scenes will expand. There will be plenty left.
When you’ve finished Draft 2. you are beginning to see how your work is edging closer to that Golden Bubble. Parts may not be smooth as you’d like, there may be gaps and problems you still haven’t solved but the process is not over yet.
Trust your intuition, trust your imagination They will give you the answers.