Adding meat…but trimming the fat

While editing “Revenge”, my second science fiction novel, I noticed  two things were happening: 1) I needed to lengthen it a bit, BUT 2) there were parts that needed to be trimmed down. So my dilemma became, how do I add substance while cutting away the excess?

The solution presented itself easier than I thought. I realized the areas I could “meat up” (although since I’m a vegetarian, maybe “tofu” or “soy-based-meatlike-product” up would be more accurate) were what my readers have told me: they would like more backstory.

In “Illusion”, backstory came easily, since there is a parallel past timeline woven throughout the main story. But in “Revenge”, the action/thriller element is bumped up to move the story quickly. There was little reference to where the characters came from.

So thanks to all my pre-readers for their feedback. As a writer, I always want to tell my stories in the best way I can. Your thoughts have helped me to do just that.