If you’ve submitted a shorter piece—say a news article or an essay—to a periodical, you no doubt read their guidelines. But what do you do when your piece is too long?

Writing Tip for Today: Here are some easy ways to condense an essay or article to fit:

Up Front Lede

One of the first things to do when self-editing is to be sure your lede or theme is not buried somewhere on page two. Your opening hook should catch reader’s attention and be directly related to the overall message. In my work, the hook is only a few sentences at the beginning, followed by a clear and brief signpost pointing readers in the specific direction of the piece.

You can learn to spot “throat clearing” by recognizing explanations. Most readers are willing to forgo explanations or background material to gain action or clear directions. I always remember what Desi Arnaz says to Lucy in the “I Love Lucy” sitcom: “You got some ‘splaining to do.” Explanations are usually rather dry or encyclopedic-a turn-off for readers.

Look through your draft and see if any imagery or anecdote jumps out as most interesting. This is usually your “hook,” a brief picture or anecdote that draws readers into your piece. Move that bit to the opening, and follow it with a brief but clear sentence or two that shows readers the scope and slant of your overall piece.

If your sentence or paragraph has three details, pick the best or strongest one.

Look for Repeats

I usually draft with several statements illustrating a single event or action. But if my word count spills over, I look for the pithiest and clearest example. I keep that illustration but take out supporting details.

For instance, if I write, “I tried everything to get my fussy newborn twins to nap,” followed by, “I drove them around in the car and took them for strolls in their pram but still they cried.” I might leave out the specific ways I tried to get them to sleep if word count demands that I cut.

You might try the same idea by looking for multiple modifiers. If you wrote, “My first car was a 1967 Chevy Chevelle, with turquoise cloth upholstery.” If you need to trim, you might simply write, “My first car was a ’67 Chevy.” By trimming details (even ones you really like) you can slim your piece to fit word count guidelines. Think of a set of nesting Russian dolls—the innermost doll is the theme kernel, with succeeding larger dolls representing added details.

Prep for Prepositions

Prepositions can also help you trim word count. Prepositional phrases can often be eliminated by making a possessive. The doctors at the hospital becomes the hospital’s doctors.  I’m going to the meeting on Tuesday becomes, “I’m going to Tuesday’s meeting.”

Many times, I see new writers being overly protective of the story’s management. By that I mean a writer writes, “I left the keys in the house. So I went back into the house and came out of the house with my keys.”  Obviously, readers would know the keys are in the house somewhere. We can deduce that the narrator went there to find them and came out with them.

When faced with a specific word count for submissions, it’s common to stare at your piece and wonder where you can trim. By first teasing out your hook and your lede, you can ensure you aren’t cutting anything that might make readers confused. Then look for details and or prepositional phrases that you could condense without losing meaning. Trim your articles and essays to fit word count guidelines and then you can be confident that you are putting forward your best work.