On the Block: Round Two

I've finished the first editing pass of my novella, Mika. Two weeks of steady work netted me a much tighter story, one with a great arch and a solid, fun tale. However, I didn't meet my word cut goal. The original story was 23,667 words. I wanted to cut 10 percent across the board, but while I'm sure I cut even more than that, rewrites added it right back in. After round one, I cut 1,483 words (4 pages!), leaving me at 22,184 words.


I'm committed to the goal of reducing my novella down to a maximum of 21,301 words. In fact, I'm feeling a little rabid about it. I've calculated imminent success if I cut 12 words from each page of the novella.

Does this method seem extreme? Grossly practical for a creative process? Yes to both, but I'm determined to give it a try. When it comes to reducing my stories' lengths, I need a strategy that works!