How To Crop Your Manuscript

Sure you spent a considerable amount of time constructing that scene; researched for that specific detail, and even used encyclopedia for that piece of information, but if it's making your novel impossible to fit in a 96-page book, you would need to press DEL whether you like it or not.

Here are some pointers on how to make your manuscript shorter:

1. Delete dialogues, monologues and other details that are not that important.
2. Apply SHOW vs. TELL Rules. If a scene/action/detail is of minimal significance to the story and can be narrated, do the latter to save space.
3. Scenes where not one of the leads is present can be deleted, especially if it does not have direct effect on the story line. 
4. Amputate dead scenes.
5. Remove 'chitchat' scenes.
6. Shorten narratives.
7. Simplify descriptions of places.
8. Reduce the number of chapters. Instead of having the usual 10, reduce it to 8. Chapter headers occupy a great deal of space.

Important: Don’t get too attached to your manuscript. Revise with your mind (preferably open at the time you start this) and not with your heart. 

Happy cropping!