I guess it's better to write too much than not enough. Apropos the editorial panels I attended at Worldcon, I know I need much harsher editing on the books I intended to pitch (no pitching allowed, dammit!).
The panels emphasised the potential of an author, not necessarily perfect grammar and spelling, but I can't help but disagree. As an author, you need to make your manuscript as perfect as possible, as well as have a story with potential.
Perfection isn't attainable, but making your manuscript the best it can be, is attainable.
Now I have to go off and carve out 20k on each manuscript; simply tightening the language - getting rid of adverbs, for example - may not be enough. I'll have to trim off a sub-plot in each, shorten paragraphs and sentences, maybe delete a character or two, all without messing with the over-arching main plots.
Doable. Must be doable, actually, if I'm to submit to an agent.
And at least I won't be padding the work, but making it more concise with some judicious line edits.
Sigh.
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