Removing Material from an Article That is Too Long

 I recently wrote an article for the website, Reference.com. Before I get to work writing my articles, I take note of what my word-count limit is. Nothing irritates a client more than agreeing to pay for a 1000-word article and receiving an article that is 2000 words or more – and the writer expecting them to "just trim off what you don't want." That is not your client's job. That is YOUR job! You are the writer with ALL of the information and all of the sources. You need to be the one to decide how much will get trimmed if an article is too long, as well as what exactly will need to be trimmed.

 

In some cases, it can be difficult to figure out what to remove from an article that is too long. This can be a hard decision, as the writer may feel that ALL of the information is important.

 

I was in that "all of the information is important" boat with my article for that site. I was writing about illnesses in bearded dragons and signs to look for if they are sick. I wanted to include as many illnesses as possible. Unfortunately, that meant going over my word count. So I decided one of them would have to go.

 

Unfortunately, I wasn't sure just what I should remove!

 

So I turned to my oldest, who actually has a bearded dragon and who did research on beardies before having one as a pet. He suggested what I should remove and, after removal, my article was once again in the safe zone. Yay!

 

Here is what got cut from my article:

 

A fatal illness

 

Adenovirus infection is a serious infection for bearded dragons and can usually be fatal. Dr. Vickstrom noted, "Sometimes chronic underlying infections, such as occur with adenovirus, predispose a bearded dragon to other illnesses." It is usually referred to as “wasting disease” and is contagious, so an infected bearded dragon should be isolated from other lizards.

 

This infection is caused by a parasite. Good steps towards prevention are to keep your dragon’s enclosure clean, throw out uneaten and old food, and properly disinfect any tools or equipment after each use. Symptoms include weight loss, a prostrate figure, seizures, an arched head or upright tail, uncontrolled rolling and twitching of the toes and tail. Medication can be administered.

https://reptilesmagazine.com/atadenovirus-this-disease-can-be-deadly-to-your-bearded-dragon/  (Source)

 

 

Reason it got cut: “It’s the least common concern out of all the stuff listed.”

Just the Facts

As many people in my circle know, I have been spending a very long time editing, revising and updating the haunted houses book. This is a very big book so it has taken me a long time to go through it. I was working on it every day until I became ill and was hospitalized, then unfortunately, I lost two years of being able to work on it during my recovery. However, after I was fully recovered and able to write again, I got back to work on it.

 

I have been back to work on it ever since. And I am so glad I took up this task to edit and revise the original book!

 

During the time I have been working on it, I have noticed A LOT of mistakes. This particular task of revising and editing the book has also required me to do a lot of fact-checking, as well as digging through historical records. (Yes, I am keeping track of my sources!) Unfortunately, the original source we got a majority of our information from did not do any fact-checking of their own. Therefore, a lot of that information was either flawed or based on urban legends. (I am trying to avoid including urban legends in this book!)

 

That said, I have had to rewrite MANY passages in this book. Finding out that our original source of information was flawed has indeed been alarming. I want to notify them about this, since other visitors to their site might believe that information, too. I also want to see if they can use my own work for that information after the book comes out. (I know the owner of the site, so maybe he will be agreeable to this.)

 

But what I have also noticed are claims about certain haunted houses which I cannot find anywhere in my own research. One of the houses written about in this book, for example, was said to have been investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren. I would not be surprised if this is true, since the house is located in Connecticut, but I could not find proof of this at all anywhere in my research. Therefore, I did not include that factoid in the revised passage written about that house.

 

What I try to do with this work is stick to the facts. I report only on my findings, not on urban legends or what some people say about a certain haunted house. I only want to report the facts and set records straight.

 

The paranormal field is rife with hype, urban legends and exaggerated claims. I happen to take the paranormal seriously, approaching it with an open and curious mind without being influenced by urban legends or hyperbole. That is the same approach I wish to take with this book. I want this book to tell the truth and not some fiction thought up by someone looking for publicity. If I do find proof of certain claims surrounding a haunted house, I will include it. Otherwise, it’s just a claim that can’t really be backed up, so it gets cut.

 

The Pronoun Problem

As a writing parent, my kids tend to end up in my writing somehow or another. Both my kids are aware that they are in my book, Parenting Pauses: Life as a Deaf Parent. My youngest has been featured and talked about on my blog their whole life. And, of course, I talk about my kids on social media. It’s just something that comes naturally as a writer writing about life.

 

However, I am also the parent of children who are members of the LGBTQ community. My oldest is transgender and my youngest is gay. (I have both kids’ permission to talk about this publicly.) This means that, in some cases, pronouns are not always going to be the same.

 

Case in point: In the book, Totally Scared: The Complete Book on Haunted Houses, which I co-wrote with Martha Jette, I talk about my “daughter” and note the gender as “she/hers.” At this time in my oldest’s life, he did not come out as transgender. As far as I knew, my first child was a girl and referred to in the feminine. The book was published and life moved on.

 

Recently, however, I was putting together another paranormal book. This one is a short book of true ghost stories. In this ebook, I included an excerpt from Totally Scared, quoting some parts of it verbatim. This included excerpts containing my “daughter” – except, nowadays, “she” is a “he” and identified as much in other parts of the ebook. I tried to tiptoe around the pronoun issue in those later parts of the book, except that didn’t work in some cases. “He” was definitely there to stay.

 

When I gave the ebook a final read before sending it out for edits, I did notice this issue. I realized that it may cause some confusion. First my oldest is my “daughter” then my oldest is my “son.” To anyone unaware of why, this would make them wonder whatever happened to my little girl.

 

And before anybody says anything, I completely accept my oldest as transgender. I identify my oldest as “he/him” and refer to him by his new name.

 

Still, I wasn’t sure what the rule for this was, as far as editing and revising goes. So I asked my editor. I explained that I had discussed this with my oldest and got his permission to publicly share that he is transgender. My editor suggested that, after I get the manuscript back, just include a note about the pronoun change in the ebook.

 

Even so, this has made me realize that it’s quite an interesting situation for writers and editors. I mean, what are we supposed to do with past content that has identified someone by a gender that they no longer identify with? What about their dead names? What about them being portrayed in photos as a gender they no longer identify as? What are we supposed to do about all that?

 

I have run into this confusion with people on Facebook, when I share old pictures of my “daughter” who is now my “son.” I have had to explain it many times. It got to where I started to debate whether or not to share those pictures anymore because my oldest is on Facebook and I didn’t want to hurt him by sharing posts containing his dead name. I am still trying to figure that out. Meanwhile, I have been sharing the pictures and explaining when somebody asks.

 

My oldest is also on my personal blog. There are pictures there as well. What am I supposed to do about those? I don’t want to delete them. That’s my past! Those are my stories! I often use the blog to look up information we can no longer remember (like when we adopted our cat).

 

As far as books and writing go, I need to explore this issue further. However, for this particular ebook, I will follow my editor’s suggestions and just include a note. Hopefully that will be enough to avoid confusion for readers.

Just You and I

When it comes to writing a self-help book, or a book meant to assist a certain demographic, the authoring of such books can be tricky. Before I started the editing and revising of a book I began writing years ago, I knew I had to keep the book’s focus clear. I also had to approach the writing of this book not as “the voice of authority” but more like someone who has “been there, done that.”

 

The thing of it is, I am NOT the voice of authority on this topic. Yes, I have years of experience under my belt, but I’m not an expert on the book’s topic. And since it deals with something health-related, I have to be careful. I cannot try to present myself as an expert. I have no medical training and no training as a counselor.

 

I’m just somebody who survived an addiction.

 

That said, I have to keep that in mind as I write it.

 

Now, I don’t like to be boastful. I don’t want the book to be “ALL ABOUT ME” and how I managed to get through an experience for so long. But, the truth is, the readers in that group will WANT that information.

 

I keep thinking of what I would say to someone if they ever asked me how I survived managing an addiction for so long (sadly, alcoholism really cannot be cured!). My answer is always, “Read this book to find out.”

 

So I have to make sure that the writing is more about “I did” this or “I tried” that. You know? Instead of “you should do” this or “you should try” that.

 

In some cases, yes, using the word “you” might be helpful. And I think even the occasional “we” could work, since I am a part of that group and, on some occasions, the things I talk about can go for ALL of us. But, for the most part, using “I” instead of “you” sounds a lot better. And I also think if I write it in a certain way, that even despite it being first-person experiences, it could still be helpful to the audience the book is written for. I believe it could still be useful.

 

Yet, there I was, way past Chapter 10, and trying to figure out HOW to write a chapter on a topic that SHOULD be written by someone who works as a counselor or who is a minister or whatever. It was still a topic I could relate to, because that particular issue was a part of my journey. Unable to figure it out, I stepped away from what I’d written of the chapter so far and decided to just think about it. I did other things. I cooked a meal, did some chores and read a book. It was while I was reading that I figured it out: Keep it all personal. Use “I” instead of “you.” So I went back to that chapter and finished writing it as a personal story.

 

I wrote the rest of that chapter of that book with “I” instead of “you.” Even though the reader may nod in understanding as they read, having been there themselves, I have to keep it all personal, because that’s the kind of book it’s supposed to be. It’s my personal story. But I want it to be a personal story in which readers from that audience can feel empowered and have hope that they, too, can beat the addiction that I struggled with for years (and now going on almost 5 years of being free of it). I say at the beginning of the book that I am not an expert, have no medical training, no training as a therapist and that I don’t have any special letters after my name. I’m just someone who found a way to control the addiction that almost killed me. I’m in that group. I’m in that demographic. It’s a journey we and fellow recovery posse members are all on together.

 

This realization means I will have to revise and edit ALL the previous chapters written up until now, changing the “you” to “I” and making all those stories reflect my personal experience with that particular issue. As far as the writing of the book is concerned, I have to keep the writing personal as I tell my story and share how, in the end, I broke free.