TL;DR: Overwriting is writing too much, too ornately, or too often, so the story or message gets buried under extra scenes, wordy sentences, and decoration. It shows up in fiction and nonfiction alike. Fix it by cutting anything that doesn't move your plot or argument, replacing vague, ornate language with specific words, and editing in 4 passes: structure, section, sentence, and word.
You finish a chapter you're proud of. Then a beta reader says, "I got a little lost." Your editor writes "trim" in the margin 40 times. Or a reviewer leaves 3 stars: great idea, slow read.
That's overwriting, and it's one of the most fixable reasons a good book reads like a slog. It happens in novels and memoirs, in business books and how-to guides. It often starts with caring a lot about getting every detail right.
This guide is for authors with a draft, or half a draft, who've heard "it's too much" and want to know exactly what to cut. You'll learn how to spot overwriting in fiction and nonfiction, see before-and-after examples, and get a 4-pass edit you can start today.
What is overwriting?
Overwriting is writing that uses more scenes, words, or ornament than the story or message needs, so readers have to dig for the point.
Overwriting happens at 3 levels, and most manuscripts have problems at more than 1:
- Structure. Extra scenes, subplots, characters, chapters, or tangents that don't move the book forward.
- Paragraph. Backstory dumps, over-description, and the same point made 3 times in a row.
- Sentence and word. Stacked adjectives, needless adverbs, tangled syntax, and ornate language that draws attention to the author instead of the idea.
The common thread is effort. The reader has to work to find what matters. Overwriting is like the common cold of first drafts: nearly every author catches it, and nearly every author can clear it up.
Overwriting vs purple prose vs underwriting
Overwriting is too much of anything, purple prose is ornate language that shows off, and underwriting is too little detail or development.
| Problem | What it looks like | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Overwriting | Too many scenes, details, explanations, or repeated points | Cut and consolidate |
| Purple prose | Showy, over-the-top language that pulls readers out of the story | Replace with plain, specific words |
| Underwriting | Thin scenes, missing context, skipped transitions | Add detail, motivation, and connective tissue |
Here's purple prose in action: "A symphony of luminous, crystalline twilight cascaded across the mellifluous valley." Nobody can picture that. The language is working harder than the image.
Most purple prose is a form of overwriting, but not all overwriting is purple prose. A plain sentence can still be overwritten if it repeats what the last sentence already said.
Underwriters hear "flesh it out." Overwriters hear "trim it." Most authors lean one way or the other, and the notes you get from beta readers and editors tell you which.
What does it mean if a book is overwritten?
A book is overwritten when scenes, characters, description, or explanations can be cut without changing the story or the reader's takeaway.
Here are 9 signs, grouped by where they hide.
Signs in fiction
- Scenes that change nothing. If you delete the scene and the story still works, the scene is doing nothing. Every scene should shift the status quo, raise the stakes, or reveal something.
- Characters you could delete. If a character does 1 small job, merge them with another character who already has a role.
- Description with no focus. When every object gets the same attention, readers can't tell which details matter.
Signs in nonfiction
- The same point made several times. Restating your idea in 3 different ways doesn't make it land harder. It makes readers skim.
- Too many stories for one idea. Pick the strongest story or example and cut the rest.
- A long runway before the promise. If readers wait 15 pages to learn what your book will do for them, your introduction is overwritten.
Signs in both
- Long, tangled sentences. If you need to reread a sentence to understand it, so will your reader.
- Meaning explained twice. You show the emotion in action, then name it in narration. Pick one. (Our guide to show don't tell writing covers when each one works.)
- Decoration over clarity. Adverbs, stacked adjectives, and metaphors piled on metaphors.
The slog test (and a note on genre)
The clearest sign is how the book feels to read. If beta readers say it was hard to get through, or they started skimming, believe them.
Some of this is taste. Epic fantasy readers expect richer worldbuilding than thriller readers do. The test isn't length. The test is whether readers in your genre keep turning pages.
Why is overwriting bad?
Overwriting is bad because it hides your story or message, wastes reader time, and leads to skimming, abandoned books, and weaker reviews.
- It hides your story. Readers have to dig through extra content to find the part you wanted them to see.
- It blurs your meaning, line by line. When sentences are too long or too ornate, readers lose track of what's happening and why they should care.
- It kills pacing. Every unnecessary paragraph is a speed bump between your reader and the next page.
- It costs you word of mouth. Readers who don't finish don't review, recommend, or buy your next book.
For nonfiction authors, there's another cost. Readers who don't reach the end never apply your method, and they're less likely to hire you, book you, or follow you. A tighter book builds more authority than a longer one.
Overwriting in fiction vs nonfiction
In fiction, overwriting hides in scenes, description, and emotion. In nonfiction, it hides in repetition, extra examples, and long introductions before the promise.
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it hides | Scenes, description, dialogue, info dumps | Intros, repeated points, stacked examples, hedging |
| Usual cause | Not knowing where the story is going, or falling in love with a detail | Fear that readers won't trust you, or trying to say everything you know |
| Fastest fix | Outline, then ask what each scene changes | One idea per chapter, your best story only, promise stated early |
| Test to run | Delete it. Does the story still work? | Delete it. Does the reader still get the result? |
Memoir sits in the middle. Use the nonfiction test for your theme and the fiction test for your scenes. If you're writing one, our guide to writing a book about your life walks through choosing one theme and building scenes around it.
Examples of overwriting (before and after)
The fastest way to see overwriting is side by side. Each example below shows the overwritten version, the fix, and what changed.
Example 1: fiction, description with no focus
Before
Detective Mara Ellison stepped through the doorway into the second-floor apartment, which was in an older brick building that had once been a textile mill, and she noticed that the walls were painted a pale gray that reminded her of the sweaters her mother used to knit, and that the mustard-yellow couch sat against the far wall near a bookshelf holding perhaps 60 paperbacks, and then she saw the body.
After
Mara stepped inside. Gray walls, a mustard couch, and 1 paperback lying face down on the floor, spine cracked. Then she saw the body.
- Cut the building history and the sweater comparison. Neither matters to the scene.
- Kept 3 concrete details, and gave the 1 that will matter later (the paperback) the most weight.
- Split 1 breathless sentence into 3 that move.
Example 2: fiction, emotion spelled out
Before
"I can't believe you did this to me," Jonah said angrily, his voice trembling with a boiling, volcanic fury as a crushing wave of betrayal and heartbreak and despair washed over his shattered soul.
After
"You told her before you told me." Jonah set the keys on the counter, very carefully, as if they might break.
- Removed the adverb, the stacked emotions, and the dialogue tag doing all the work.
- Let the line of dialogue and the small action carry the feeling.
Example 3: nonfiction, throat-clearing
Before
Before we dive into the important topic of time management, it is important to first understand that time management is something that matters a great deal to many people, and that is because time is the one resource that all of us have in limited supply, which is why managing it well is so essential.
After
You get 24 hours a day, same as everyone else. How you spend them decides whether you finish your book.
- Cut the announcement ("before we dive in") and went straight to the point.
- Replaced 3 vague claims with 1 specific, reader-focused sentence.
How to stop overwriting
To stop overwriting, outline first, cut anything that doesn't move your plot or argument, then edit in 4 passes: structure, section, sentence, and word.
1. Outline your book, then outline each scene or chapter
Overwriting often comes from not knowing where you're going. An outline gives you a destination, so you can steer toward it. Our guide to how to write a book shows how to build one before you draft.
Then outline at the scene or chapter level, especially in revision. For fiction, ask three questions: What does the character want here? How does the status quo change? How are the stakes raised? For nonfiction, ask: What's the one idea? What should the reader be able to do after this chapter?
2. Condense minor characters, subplots, and repeated points
If you have a character who does one thing and another who does one other thing, make them a single character. They now carry more of the story, and your cast gets smaller.
The same move works on plot. Cut subplots that get dropped, or make them essential. Better yet, combine them: instead of a flirting scene and a separate heist scene, have your characters flirt during the heist. Both storylines get stronger, and your word count drops.
In nonfiction, condense the same way. If three stories prove the same point, keep the best one. If a point appears in chapters 2, 5, and 9, decide where it belongs and cut the rest.
3. Describe what matters
Long description isn't the problem. Unfocused description is. Pick the details that pay off, and give those the spotlight.
Anton Chekhov's famous advice is a good filter: if you mention a rifle on the wall in act 1, it should matter by the end. If a detail doesn't connect to your character's goal or your reader's takeaway, cut it. For the details you keep, use the rule of 3: give readers up to three concrete, sensory specifics, like "a cherry-red Camaro" instead of "a red car," and move on.
4. Trust your reader
Readers are smart and they remember what they read. You don't need to explain a joke, repeat a clue, or name an emotion the scene already showed.
Elmore Leonard's well-known approach was to leave out the parts readers skip. That applies to nonfiction too. If you're tempted to add "in other words" and restate your point, you probably already made it.
5. Swap decoration for specific words
Extra adjectives and adverbs often cover for a weak noun or verb. Replace "walked slowly" with "shuffled," and "very tired" with "wrecked." Our list of strong verbs and our descriptive adjectives list help you find the specific word so you can cut the extra ones.
Save figurative language for moments that earn it. One metaphor that readers remember beats five that they skim.
The 4-pass edit that cuts overwriting
Edit from big to small: structure first, then each scene or section, then sentences, then single words. Cutting words before cutting scenes wastes your time.
- Pass 1: structure. List every scene or chapter in one sentence. Cut or merge anything that doesn't change the story or advance your promise to the reader.
- Pass 2: scene or section. Open with the point. Cut throat-clearing openings, repeated beats, and anything the reader already knows.
- Pass 3: sentence. Read aloud. Mark every sentence you run out of breath on, then split it or cut half.
- Pass 4: word. Search your manuscript for "-ly" adverbs, "it was," "there were," "very," and "really." Replace vague words with specific ones, or delete them.
Rest your draft between passes. A week is ideal. You can't spot overwriting while the words are still fresh in your head, because you read what you meant to write instead of what's on the page.
Is it okay to overwrite a first draft?
Yes. Overwriting a first draft is fine because cutting a long draft is faster than inventing a missing one. Finish the draft first, then trim in revision.
If fear of overwriting is stopping you from finishing, give yourself permission to write long. Get the whole story or the whole argument on the page, with your only goal being a finished draft.
Fixing overwriting is trimming what you already have. One novelist-editor documented aiming to cut almost 10% of an 82,000-word second draft, and trimmed 600 words from chapter 1 alone, using a draft-by-draft editing process. That's normal. Plan on chopping.
The trap to avoid is the opposite: polishing chapter 1 over and over before you write chapter 2. That's overwriting in disguise, and it's a common reason books stall.
Tools that help catch overwriting
Software catches mechanical overwriting like adverbs and sticky sentences, but only a human editor can judge which scenes, ideas, and details to cut.
- ProWritingAid. Deep manuscript analysis: repeated words, sticky sentences, passive voice, and readability.
- Grammarly. Real-time grammar and clarity suggestions as you revise.
- Hemingway Editor. Flags hard-to-read sentences and adverbs.
Our breakdown of AI book editing tools explains how to use them without losing your voice. Run them after your second draft, once the big structural cuts are done.
Use sentence length as a gut check
Average sentence length is a rough gauge, not a rule.
| Book (first chapter) | Average sentence length |
|---|---|
| A Man Called Ove | 7.33 words |
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | 11.43 words |
| Gone Girl | 14.03 words |
| A Tale of Two Cities | 17.66 words |
If your average runs well above what's typical for your genre, that's your cue to look for sentences to split or trim.
Common mistakes when fixing overwriting
The biggest mistake is cutting so hard you create underwriting. Others are losing your voice and editing while you draft.
- Cutting too much. Your goal is clarity, not the shortest possible book. If readers now say it feels thin, add back what's missing.
- Cutting your voice along with the fluff. Keep the sentences that sound like you. Cut the ones that sound like you trying to sound like an author.
- Editing while you draft. Drafting and cutting use different muscles. Do them in separate sessions.
- Being your only editor. You know what you meant, so you can't see what's actually on the page. Outside eyes catch what you can't.
Overwriting FAQ
What does overwriting mean in writing?
Overwriting means using more words, scenes, details, or ornament than the story or message needs. It covers everything from extra subplots to wordy sentences. The result is writing that feels heavy, repetitive, or forced, and readers have to work to find the point.
Is overwriting the same as purple prose?
Not exactly. Purple prose is over-the-top, ornate language that draws attention to itself. Overwriting is broader: it includes purple prose, but also extra scenes, repeated points, and over-description. Most purple prose is overwriting, but plenty of overwriting is plain and just too long.
Is it overwriting or overriding?
They're different words. In writing, overwriting means saying too much. Overriding means taking precedence over something. In computing, "overwrite" also means replacing existing data with new data. If you're talking about a manuscript that says too much, the word you want is overwriting.
What is another word for overwriting?
Common alternatives include wordiness, verbosity, padding, and purple prose. Editors also describe overwritten work as overwrought, florid, or bloated. Which term fits depends on the problem: wordy sentences are verbosity, ornate language is purple prose, and extra scenes are padding.
How do I know if I'm overwriting?
Run three checks. Read your pages aloud and mark where you stumble. Delete a scene or paragraph and see if anything is lost. Ask beta readers where they skimmed. If you stumble, lose nothing, or readers skimmed, you're overwriting.
Do fiction and nonfiction authors both overwrite?
Yes. Fiction authors tend to overwrite in scenes, description, and emotion. Nonfiction authors tend to overwrite through repetition, too many examples, and long introductions. The fix is the same in both: cut what doesn't serve the reader, and edit in passes.
How to stop overwriting for good
Here's the honest truth about overwriting: you can learn every technique in this guide and still miss it in your own manuscript. You know what you meant to say, so your brain fills in the gaps. You read the book in your head, not the book on the page.
That's why the authors who beat this habit rarely do it alone. Software can flag adverbs and sticky sentences. It can't tell you that chapter 7 is really two chapters, that your best story is buried on page 40, or that your first scene is a warm-up for the real one. Those calls take a trained human eye and a process built to catch them.
Overwriting is a habit, and habits change with feedback. With 1:1 coaching, you get someone who reads your actual pages, spots your personal patterns early, and tells you before those patterns spread across 60,000 or 80,000 words. Maybe you dump backstory in every opening scene. Maybe you restate every point three times. A coach names it, shows you the fix, and keeps you moving so you finish instead of endlessly polishing chapter 1.
It works for fiction and nonfiction, because the coaching follows your book, not a template.
No program can guarantee a bestseller. But a clear, lean, well-edited manuscript gives you the best possible shot, and that's exactly what the 1:1 coaching and 5 rounds of professional editing at selfpublishing.com are built to produce. We've helped authors publish over 7,000 books across 91+ countries, and the pattern is consistent: the books that sell are the ones that respect the reader's time.
If you've been rewriting chapter 1 for months, your beta readers keep saying "slow," or you can't tell what to cut, you don't need more willpower. You need a second set of eyes and a plan. Your book is closer than you think.
Book a free consultation to build a strategy with our team today.
