How to Edit a Monologue Without Killing Its Soul

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There’s a particular kind of heartbreak that comes with editing a monologue. You finally get something down that feels alive - maybe it even made you tear up a little - and now you have to take the scalpel to it. You know it’s too long, or too repetitive, or too on-the-nose. But how do you fix it without editing out the pulse?

Here’s what I’ve learned after reading, workshopping, and performing hundreds of monologues over the years: the best edits don’t make a piece smaller; they actually make it louder and clearer.

Let’s walk through how to do that.