Concept
Cut Ten Percent
Cutting ten percent is Stephen King's revision rule from On Writing: the second draft should be roughly the first draft minus ten percent, because removing what does not serve the story (extra adverbs, background, repetition and the writer's own warm-up) almost always makes a piece stronger.
King says he learned the formula early from a note an editor sent with a rejection, and kept using it. The number is a rule of thumb, not a law, but it does useful work. Most first drafts are too long in predictable places: the opening that clears the writer's throat, the explanation the reader did not need, the adverb propping up a weak verb, the second example that repeats the first. Setting a target forces you to look for them instead of only polishing sentences. King is especially hard on adverbs and on padding that exists because the writer is nervous the reader will not understand. For a spoken story the same applies: a three-minute story told in two and a half usually lands better. Cutting also sharpens the five-second moment, because there is less around it for the listener to wade through.
A real-life example
Burak, a training manager in Ankara, writes a 1,200-word story about his first year as a supervisor for the company newsletter. Using King's rule, he sets a target of about 1,080 words. He deletes the opening paragraph about the company's history, three adverbs, and a second example that repeats the first. The editor says it is the first article she has read to the end that month.
How to use it
- 1After the first draft, note its length and set a target about ten percent shorter.
- 2Cut first where drafts are usually fat: the warm-up opening, unneeded background, adverbs and repeated examples.
- 3Read the shorter version aloud and check that the central moment now stands out more clearly.