Over my years working in the publishing industry (wearing writer, editor, or artist hat depending on the job), I’ve discovered that problems which seem insurmountable can often be corrected with what I jokingly refer to as the no-problem-is-too-big-to-run-away-from fix.

I just toss out the problem.

For example, have you ever started a sentence that sort of runs out of things to say at the end? Maybe you just can’t think of the right word or phrase to complete it. Often such a sentence can be fixed by cutting out the last few words or last phrase. If that doesn’t work, discard the whole sentence.

Have a book with a picture that doesn’t seem to fit into the mood of the book? Don’t agonize over the problem, just toss the picture. It’s the writing that’s important; don’t waste your time worrying about the illustration.

Have a story that starts with a wordy paragraph or two? Cut the paragraphs out. Chances are the story or article will be better for it. (In fact there are editors who make it a practice to drop the first paragraph or two of everything that’s submitted to them.)

Ditto for the ending of an article where a new idea is introduced or the writing rambles on a little too much. Toss the last paragraph or two and see if it doesn’t work better.

Of course this fix won’t work all the time. But often it does. So next time you face a problem that seems impossible to fix, try simply running away from it.

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When not working as a writer or editor, Duncan Long is a freelance illustrator. His artwork has appeared in publications by HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, Fort Ross, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors. See his book illustrations at: DuncanLong.com.
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