ellen_hawley#Writersofmastodon, what do you think of the trend toward taking every possible "that" out of a manuscript? I'm going through copy edits and it's driving me nuts.
Shel@ellen_hawley @bookstodon
This answer covers most use cases what you might come across:
https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/6835/when-can-i-remove-the-word-that-in-a-sentence
Elizabeth C. Bunce@EggKnees @ellen_hawley @bookstodon Gosh, I think there are several other ways to improve the flow of the example sentences the OP posted there! (in the StackExchange thread on removing "that") I'm a #kidswriter and my editors/CEs often suggest adding words to my sentences to make them clearer for young readers. I'm always trying to shave down my wordcount, and "that"'s an easy one to cut.
@ecbunce @ellen_hawley @bookstodon
Hi Elizabeth. If you get a spare minute, I'm sure we'd love to see a few examples of how you cut your wordcount but also try to clarify meaning for younger readers. It's a fine line. Long sentences are a lot less stressful if you have an interesting cellmate.
Hi Elizabeth. If you get a spare minute, I'm sure we'd love to see a few examples of how you cut your wordcount but also try to clarify meaning for younger readers. It's a fine line. Long sentences are a lot less stressful if you have an interesting cellmate.
@EggKnees @ellen_hawley @bookstodon Shel asked me to give examples of how I slash wordcount while still adding clarifiers for young readers. I am currently waiting on my first round of copyedits for my next book, so I'll be sure to share when I get a good example! But basically I try to cut anything that feels extraneous (just, that, extra beats and tags, repetition), as long as it doesn't affect the voice. (Sometimes a sentence is just better for a just!)