When I edit, I usually follow the Stephen King 10% rule.
2nd Draft = (1st Draft – 10%)
A funny thing has happened so far in my novel editing.
I eliminated a third of what was in my first draft. A third! Mostly, that was back story at the beginning of the novel.
Then I inserted new text, primarily for deeper exploration of character. The outcome? My second draft is now 25% longer than the original draft! Definitely not following the Stephen King 10% rule, eh?
Well, yes, but the edit is not yet complete. What I do know is that the Stephen King rule has made me ruthless about assessing whether a passage is critical for the forward progress of the novel. And it is amazing how creative one can get about communicating the essence of a character and/or action when the goal is to reduce and reduce and reduce.
Yet, right now, my second draft is 25% longer rather than 10% shorter than the first draft.
I won’t beat up on myself yet. This is an unfolding story. There
will be more rounds of 10% reductions.