Cut it Out! Tips for Editing Long Stories for Oral Interpretation

by Eric W. Mishne

Director of Forensics

Department of Communication

Cedarville University

Some of the best stories out there are short ones. They get right to the point, and they are easy to adapt for oral interp. However, there’s something rich in a novel or book that contains hundreds of pages of developed characters and plots. Yet, those can be nightmarish to edit into a 10-minute solo performance or even a duo. Everyone has their method of tackling that task and I’m not going to give you a fool proof method here. However, I do want to give you some tips and tricks that I have found helpful when cutting a larger work down to a 10-minute performance.

Let’s Get on the Same Page

Before we start the process, let’s get on the same page of purpose. I assume that you want your audience to receive a message or to be challenged in some way, to think, change or consider something through the performance. This article is not helpful for someone whose only goal is entertainment or getting a laugh. There are different tips for that purpose. These tips are in the service of a performance that evokes thought and strives for good storytelling.

Two Questions You Should Ask

The first question I ask when trimming a long work down to 1300 words is “what is the story I want to tell?” The easy answer might be “Uh, the story in the book.” But I’m talking more narrowly than that. In every big story there are smaller stories. Take for example The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis. We obviously have the larger story of Narnia, Aslan, and the children, but there are more specific aspects of the story as well. A more narrow version of that question that I sometimes ask is “whose story am I telling?” It’s easier to work on editing the book when you are focusing on one character’s experiences rather than multiple. It’s not only easier for you as the editor, it’s easier for the audience to follow just one person’s journey. Are we telling the story of Mr. Tumnus? Edmund? Lucy? Susan? (probably not Susan, she’s kinda worthless). The answer to that question can lead very easily to helping you identify the parts of the text that are essential. It also leads to the second question.

The second question to help me edit a large text is “what is NOT the story I want to tell?” Let’s say I have chosen to tell the story of the book through the eyes of Edmund. That means I can immediately set aside all the scenes that do not contain or reference Edmund. Right away, according to a rough estimate, I’ve cut 15-20% of the book. And then you dig in further and realize that there are parts of what you have left are not relevant to Edmund’s primary character or plot arc. When you decide who or what doesn’t matter to the specific story you are telling, it becomes easier to cut out scenes or paragraphs. Sometimes you can cut entire chapters or characters. I mean really, do we even need Mr. and Mrs. Beaver? Ok maybe. But not directly for Edmund’s story. Figuring out what part of the larger story is not part of the smaller story you want to tell can make it a lot easier to make big cuts from your text.

Advice for Making Big Cuts

No matter which storyline you focus on, you must always keep its plot in mind. I’ve seen a lot of really fun performances that were confusing because the performers did not include enough of the plot points for the story to make sense. If I took just the sword fights and quotable lines from The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe and strung them together in chronological order, the story would be largely indecipherable. There’s not enough story left to communicate what is actually going on. You must make sure the plot is clear. The story must be fully developed in a way that the audience understands what has happened from scene to scene. Sometimes you can cut entire parts of the plot because the story makes sense even if that thing didn’t happen. Pro Tip: show drafts of your story to someone who does not know the original story at all and see if it makes sense to them.

Second, be creative in how you cut entire scenes down or out. You do not need to tell us absolutely everything that happens to the character. Be selective and use discretion. Often a character’s personal development is long and drawn out. But if you can find one scene that represents the entirety of their growth, you can peacefully set aside countless others. Additionally, you might be able to take one line from a scene or chapter that summarizes what happened. This can be a risk if it leaves us wanting to know more about those details, but it can also be a really helpful way to move the story forward without losing the integrity of the plot.

Finally, don’t get distracted by your favorite scenes. My favorite scene in The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe is the scene where the stone statues are reanimated and come back to life. It’s a beautiful picture of Christ giving us life after sin has brought death. And it’s probably a fun scene to act out! However, Edmund isn’t there. That scene is not a part of Edmunds story. You may have to exclude some of your favorite scenes, lines, or characters (RIP Father Christmas) because they are simply a distraction from the actual story you are telling.

The Cost of Every Choice

One final thing you must come to grips with. Every choice to include something means you’re excluding something else. When you choose to include the funny scene to make us laugh, or the overly descriptive text because it’s gorgeous, you are sacrificing something else. Maybe a line or two that shows us how Edmund is processing what he’s experiencing would be more valuable than a laugh. Or a scene that shows us how he is not as selfish as he once was is more valuable than a description of something that you can leave to our imagination. Everything you choose to include comes at a cost. Make sure you’re willing to pay that price.

Conclusion

Editing a piece of literature can be the most thrilling part of the oral interp process. There’s something satisfying about crafting your own narrative out of the words of someone else. It is also a tedious, time consuming, and sometimes tragic process. But if you keep your eyes on the prize, avoid compromise, and make choices that serve the message of the story, it will yield a performance that is rewarding for you and meaningful to your audience.