What’s The Right Amount When You’re Writing?

by Amy Sue Nathan

As a perpetual Weight Watcher even I was surprised when my leader had the letters B-L-T on her flip chart.  I mean, c’mon, I thought she was supposed to be helpful.

And she was.

BLT = Bites, Licks and Tastes.  You know, those things we don’t count when we’re keeping track of our food, but that can really add up.  In the world of weight loss you need the BLTs count big time.  They can make the difference in a good week or a bad week, especially if your licks are frosting and your bites are hourly. These actions that seem inconsequential on their own really add up to, perhaps, a whole lot more of you than you wanted.

In life a BLT can be too much.

In writing, a BLT might not be enough.

It’s a good thing to drop crumbs along the way for your readers but that’s different than a bite of something that is not complete, that’s not enough.  While in writing, less is more — less cannot mean less meaty — only lighter in word count.

These food metaphors are really making me hungry.

I’ve complained blogged before about dropped subplots.  To me that’s a prime (beef?) example of a BLT.  There’s also the BLT of a character described in detail for no reason.  I read and I wait, mouth watering, for him or her to appear again and when they don’t, I go on reading and I’m hungry for more.  Doesn’t mean you can’t add in someone where they need be, but it’s got to be a full course meal, even if it’s spa-sized.  Your character can fulfill his or her role in a short span of pages, but if it seems like it’s leading to more and it’s not, well, you don’t want your reader looking for seconds when you didn’t make enough.

Enough already, I know, I haven’t even had breakfast.

So when writing, remember to watch out for BLTs.  Make every bite, I mean word, count…and never leave the table manuscript when your reader is — or even might be — hungry for more.

Whew, done blogging. Time for breakfast.

Amy Sue Nathan is the editor of STET and the Social Media Liaison for Backspace: The Writers Place.  You can also find her on Women's Fiction Writers.  Amy is a writer, freelance editor and a non-repentant chocoholic.