Word: truncate

truncate

\ TRUHNG-keyt \  , verb;

1. To shorten by cutting off a part; cut short: Truncate detailed explanations.

2. Mathematics, Computers.  To shorten (a number) by dropping a digit or digits: The numbers 1.4142 and 1.4987 can both be truncated to 1.4.

adjective:

1. Truncated.

2. Biology . A. Square or broad at the end, as if cut off transversely. B. Lacking the apex, as certain spiral shells.

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    “Well, how is it?” Asked Jeremy hopefully wringing his hands while Alice, his older sister, looked over the pages. She sighed and put them down.

    “It's too long.” She said.

    “Too long? What do you mean too long?”

    “I mean exactly what I said. Your story is too long.”

    Jeremy didn't respond right away, hoping for some kind of elaboration. When it was clear none was coming, he spoke.

    “Well, what makes it too long? I mean, I think it's the exact right length.”

    “Then you're wrong. Look here,” Alice said, picking up the pages and flipping to the last few, “Your story is twenty-eight pages long. The problem is, the main climax occurs on page twenty-two, and the story is really complete at twenty-four. The rest is just you trying to pad out the story as long as possible.” She handed the story to her brother to look over again. He skimmed the pages briefly. He wrote them after all, so he didn't need to read them in any detail. That was Alice's job.

    “I don't see it. The pages you think are just padding show how the main character is moving on with his life. He got over his relationship problems and was once again able to write.”

    “And you show that very well at the end of page twenty-four, with the line: 'He looked at the old, dusty pad and pen, and sat down in front of them.' After that, the reader should be able to connect the dots and figure out that he started writing again, and you can effectively end the story with that line. After that, it's all just how he resumes his career and such. Totally unnecessary.”

    “But it shows his progress as a character. You always say there should be some kind of progress and development in my characters, the ending pages show that.”

    “And so do the previous twenty pages or so. Those last four pages are like adding an extra layer of whipped cream to an ice cream sundae that already has a lot of it.” 

   Jeremy looked up at Alice, her problems with his current story temporarily forgotten with the off hand compliment. This was the first time she had said something like that since he had started writing.

    “So your saying the rest of my story is good?” He asked. Alice looked away, suddenly finding the floor much more interesting.

    “Well, I didn't say that. You have improved though. You just have to work on knowing when to end it.”

    “Yeah, yeah. Fine.” He smiled knowingly at her. For her, comparing anything to an ice cream sundae was the highest compliment she could give. She would never admit it, of course, but she clearly liked the story up until the end. He words just made him think that he was right, and that she was just trying to find something to complain about.

    “So,” he continued, “Other than lopping off the last four pages, what else should I do.” He leaned forwards, leaning his elbows on the table they had been sitting at, and folding his hands under his chin.

    “Of course there's still things you should do.” She glared at his obvious attitude. She had chosen her words poorly, and now her younger brother would get a big head and ignore most of her advice. But she had to give it anyway. Otherwise he would never learn. “There's so many other small errors in the story, I don't even know where to begin.”

    “Well then,” Jeremy said, his smug grin still on his face. “Let's get to work.”

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A writer writing about a writer writing about a writer.  Let's just hope that writer isn't also writing about a writer, otherwise this could get really out of hand.