You asked several times in the comments why the deleted scenes were deleted. We cut scenes to make sure that the book has a good forward momentum. As a general rule, if you can take a scene out of the manuscript and not have to do a rewrite after, it probably shouldn’t be in there. Even if it’s a character developing scene, it still needs to inch the plot forward.
We cut a lot during the course of writing a manuscript. Here is a screenshot of current cuts:
As you can see on the bottom, we cut roughly 41, 300 words.
Why don’t you put all this stuff back in?
Because some of it sucks. Some of it, like the deleted scenes with Saiman, simply didn’t fit neatly into the plot. Some is just not good writing. The characters are doing something out of character, the mood is wrong, the voice is wrong and so on. The voice issues are the most time consuming to fix because the issue isn’t what the characters are doing but how they are thinking about it, and it’s easier to just scrap the scene.
Some of it might come back in like the shooting scene where Andrea shines. We like the scene, we just don’t know how to plug it into the plot. Some cut scenes would ruin people’s perception of their favorite characters, because we went off on a tangent. They are cut because they needed to go.
Generally our editor no longer suggest cuts that are motivated by length as we earned relaxed length standards. She mostly says things like, “It’s too slow in the beginning. You need to cut somewhere.” It so happened that Saiman rescue was a good chunk to cut.
I know that people get a book and immediately have a reaction to length, but longer isn’t necessarily better. :)
I’m kind of impressed that so much thought goes into cutting scenes. I’m curious, though: when does an author gain relaxed length standards? Is it after having a certain amount of books published or hitting a bestseller list?
p.s. The deleted draft in the screencap looks fantastic. Though I’m left wondering who won the race!
And we get another tiny snippet.
I’m just glad that you still let us have the Rescue scene. Very fun to read. Thanks!
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“Longer isn’t necessarily better.” You are so right! I have read too many books that I think would have benefited from tighter editing; and I mean going through it with butcher knife and hacksaw, pruning away huge chunks.
And so long as we get snippets, like the above, and the Saiman rescue scene, which is a complete short story in itself, it’s win-win.
Basically, it’s all part of creative process….
Thanks for the explanation, and for letting us see the scene. It was great.
When I was young, all books passed the toaster test and many that I’ve read today should have been made to. But I’m delighted to hear that you’re editors have realized that you are able to manage your own work and present us with what you want.
And that is why you are talented artists rather than serialized hacks. Quality >Quantity always!
Thanks for the insight into the behind-the-scenes work that goes into writing a book. It was interesting (and tantalizing). I see that there is an understanding why the cuts are necessary, but I imagine perhaps there is a little relief to share the work that you put your heart into. Your work practically has a life of its own. Sharing such cuts saves them from dying in vain. Sorry if I am being too fanciful.
Well at least the quality cut scenes make for great internet extras. Thanks.
Thanks alot!!
Another little snippet, I’m loving it!
We are here if you decide to share something else.
We love you all the more for it.
Thanks!!
thanks, but im dieing to know what happened next in the snippet you just shared
rachie b recently posted..Why do things get cut from the manuscript?
obviously kate kicked the shit out of curran and then won. <3
Heh, heh!
Hahaha. That comment literally made me laugh out loud.
Thank you for the information. You can just bundle the cuts into an e-book and we’ll buy it!
I have a hard time believing anything you write is bad writing. You showed us 12 lines above and everyone loved it.
thank you for the insight, I’ve loved the longer Kate books, so having this explanation makes it easier to understand the cuts! Hope the cut scene comes back in a short story or something like that, it is really good!
Cuts are just part of the editing process and make the finished product more cohesive. However, I like everything you’ve written and don’t what to miss out on a single sentence or thought. Kinda greedy, but I think you’re worth it. Your dedication to your craft is admirable.
Isn’t it the truth?!
Also–for the record–I would like to note that the statement “longer isn’t necessarily better” only applies in the case of other authors–not the Andrews. Thanks for sharing the edits!
Your cuts, our post-Christmas treat. Thank you!
I definitely think you could sell something like the Saiman as a short story. It’s pretty complete in itself.
Thanks for the info
thank you so much for the explanation and for the snippet!!!
Thank you thank you, thaaaaaannnk youuuuuuu. You just make my day. I’m feeling so light and so much better when I read a little bit of Kate and Curran. It’s like sunshine during heavy rain, a rainbow behind storm clouds. merci merci merci merci
Love u
Ps : Do you think it will be possible to keep all those deleted scenes and keep them in a book. Personnaly I’ll be thrill to read all these scenes. (with a pistaches and chocolate ice cream and chantilly). I’m already drooling. hihihihi
Nice day and happy new year and best wishes.
thanks for the snippet and giving us a peek at the process of creative geniuses at work… It just makes me want more….lol.. Good luck on the sword play of chopping and lopping of the scenes and do put them out in a e-book I would love to keep them so I could reread them as much as I reread the rest of Kates book. Have in fected son and daughter with her series too… So it is a race to see who get the book first and then taunting right about who gets to read it next..lol
That’s one of the things I like about ebooks – you can’t tell how long they are until you get stuck in.
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I’m continually amazed that people/fans question your actions. Not only has your talent brought you to where you are, meaning you know how to craft the story, but the characters are yours. If you choose to roast them over a spit, you can.
What he said.
I’m hopping on this train too.
Ditto.
Ditto, again.
If they roast any characters over a spit, I hope it’s Ghastek… (sorry, I couldn’t resist)
“You asked several times in the comments why the deleted scenes were deleted.”
You read that as questioning actions?
I read that as the people who left comments wondered why such an excellent piece of work was cut.
Maybe when all of you (Wont, laj, Heather and Lisa) think that people are ‘questioning’ these awesome authors actions you should go back and read the tone of the comments.
Since Ilona actually took the time to answer, I am betting almost all the comments went along the lines of “Wow, this was great! How come it is not making it into the book?”
not “How could you take out such a great scene out of the book?”
My bad, take Lisa off of that list. I misread your comment Lisa, I am sorry. Especially since I agree Ghastek should be roasted
I didn’t take any offense
Would you like to help turn the Gastek spit with me?
I can throw a log on the fire for you…..? Anything to help!
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I didn’t view the questions as being critical. I saw them more as people being curios. But I can see how it might seem that way, especially since people do occasionally tend to be rude and it’s easy to read too much into a comment.
PS. I’m trying to finish this book. Stopping and responding to comments slows me down. I can’t keep stopping so I am just going to trust that everyone will be nice and civil.
Never known people to be curios before. But your collecting hobby is your own
Go and rest, and ignore the world for a while. Have some fun 
Actually, I didn’t read the comments as a criticism, but thank you for the support anyway.
Thank you for each new insight in your work. Much appreciated!
I don’t want to sound too forward, but I really look forward to the next housekeeper chapter. Last info was that you are busy with your contracted stuff till mid december, which definitely has priority. Do you have a rough idea of a timeline? I want to stress again, that I understand that your contracts come first- and there is something called life and family happening on the sidelines too.
Is it wrong that the only thing I can think after reading that last line is “that’s what she said!” ?
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Perhaps you could sell a 5k or 10k hilarious short stories/scenes on Kindle? We’d buy them just for the awesomeness. Thanks for explaining the process!
Having just finished a 500-page book that could have easily been cut down to 300-pages, I couldn’t agree with you guys more about the importance of cutting scenes that aren’t necessary to the plot.
Am I the only one who feels like rolling around in the book cuttings like a cat amidst the Christmas morning wrapping paper? Thank you for sharing so much insight into the writer’s craft.
No, no your not. I can completely picture myself rolling around with a bunch of snippets.
Good analogy! That is definitely how I feel.
Do you guys write in Scrivener? It looks like it from the screen shot.
I visit this blog for the snippets and the things you share about writing. Since these little gifts are on a blog, they feel more ephemeral to me than if they appeared in one of your books. A good book is like a lantern – you know you can go to it for steady bright light . Finding these blog treats reminds me of being a little girl and checking the yard to see if fireflies were flitting about. Thanks so much!
Thanks for explaining the process. I love to read about how authors work. I also enjoyed the heck out of the snippet, cut or no. It was classic Kate and Curran snark. Except now I’m wondering what he did. : -)
I, for one, have enjoyed every book you guys put out. However you did it, you did it extremely well. Keep up the good work!
You guys are so generous with your time and explanations. Thanks so much – its no wonder you guys are my Number 1 authors!
Honestly Authors who dont know when to cut a scene is one of my pet peeves. Too many books are astronomical in length and the majority of the time nothing is happening. I am sorry to see the scenes go but your number one goal has to be delivering a well written and fun to read product. A good book should end and leave you saying “over already, shoot”. Much better than: “wow that was epic, thank god thats done …”
I may groan to myself when scenes that read so well as Saiman’s rescue get cut, but editors are generally pretty good at their jobs and I figure if you guys weren’t happy with what came out at the end, you’d figure out a way to fix it. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read from you two and yeah, editors do have a part in the process. Between your hard work and their feedback, you put out the best possible story still written in that special way that says, “This is an Ilona Andrews novel.”
I also really appreciate you sharing cut scenes with us, they are really fun and well-written mini-stories in themselves! Thank you and please keep on doing it! =) I really look forward to reading Magic Rises when it comes out. =) Ilona, you may be having fits over it right now, but I (we) have confidence in you and the story you’ll share with us when it’s done. Thank you for your hard work and your creativity.
I greatly enjoyed reading Kate’s ill advised rescue scene. I just hope Saiman ends up owing Kate a major favor somehow. It’d be fun to watch him squirm as he tries to find ways to repay her without further irking Curran
I had an english prof in college who once bragged about deleting over 2/3 of the text from a 1000 plus page technical manual. His motto was always, “don’t say it in ten words, when three will do.” He even applied this to class discussions. He would shout at people “Get to the point! Otherwise you’re wasting my time!” A bit of a character, that one. On the plus side, those annoying “I’m just going back to college for some personal enrichment after 25 years out in the workforce, so I’ll regale everyone in a 55 minute class with 10 minutes of my not-so-relevant life experiences” people dropped out of his classes quickly, so the rest of us could actually learn.
I always enjoy your post about writing, thanks. I saw an article the other day that made me think of you all, mainly because your the only author site I read. It was about writer’s notes and such, made me wonder about all the electronics used today and what will be left behind.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324461604578193552365315238.html
Wow, you cut more than I think I could ever even write! Can I just say thank you so much for sharing a portion of it? I really enjoyed reading it and getting my Kate fix in between books:)
I’m sorry if this is off topic, but I’m really curious about what’s in the screenshot. Is that some kind of doc organizer, an app, or…?
Hope you’ll reply!
Interesting post to see how the ‘behind the scenes’ process works–thank you!
I’ve read many, many books that had too much extraneous ‘fat’ in them, where the authors and editors didn’t do the good job that you do to tighten up their stories. This is what moves your books from good to great. I love your books and you will always be on ‘auto-buy’ for me.
I absolutely loved the deleted scene – have you ever thought of creating an ebook for Kindle with all of the deleted scenes in them????
hugs xoxox
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As an “Obsessed” fan I’d say longer is better More! More! Mwhaa ha ha! I’ll send cookies and wool
I trust you guys (and apparently your editor since she has helped craft these books) but just so you know, I would happily fork over $$ if you ever want to release ‘deleted scenes’ editions. Even as an ebook serial. I’m so invested in these characters it would be a treat. I would think of it as a book version of Peter Jackson’s Extended Edition Lord of the Rings DVD’s.
What she said!
I think all the cut scenes would make a most excellent ebook for say… $2.99 (or $something). It would keep us all busy for about a little while so you could get some work done. Hopefully, you could just copy/paste it.. no more proofing needed
My birthday is 4 days (7/26) before your next book magic rises comes out is there anyway that I could buy an autographed book and have it delivered to me (in alaska) on or close to my birthday one of my other fav author( kim harrison) I hear uses nicoles can get delivered close to release date do you have a book store I can buy from or can I buy it from you thanks Jody
Two Words: Roger Zelazny. Short novels by today’s standards, yet one of the cleanest, most consistent reads of any other. I don’t care about the length of the story. I care about the quality. Looking forward to book 6.
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Length for lengths sake is not always good. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the scene, but I would rather have a really good story line than one really good scene. Thanks for putting so much effort into making sure your stories are always moving forward and advancing the story. Oh, and for make such wonderful worlds for us to visit.
ooooh, masterly sneaked in snippet on the screen shot!
Please feel free to post deleted scenes to keep us rabid loonies happy (ie quiet!) in between contracted books and on down time (if you can remember what that is).
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