Editing - probably the hardest part of writing. A terrific writer explained it this way. Think of the word limit as valuable real estate. Every word is worth X. Does it belong on the page? Are you mixing low rent words in the high rent district? He taught me two things:
- Make sure every word counts
- (Equally or more important) Make sure the sentence, paragraph, or thought matters. It may be written well, but "who cares?" Does is need to be said? Does it add context and flow or is it redundant and filler? If it's just taking up space, eliminate it. He calls that, "Don't be afraid to shoot your darlings."