Also known as page trim · compression pass
A skill that proposes cuts and compressions — saving pages by tightening what is already on the page, not by inventing new story.
Save lines is for drafts that stall or run long for their genre: it proposes cuts and compressions on what is already on the page instead of inventing new story to "fill smarter." The goal is sharper momentum, not a magic page number that ignores whether the midpoint still turns for the audience.
Create a named save point before a wide pass. Suggestions are reviewable markup -- accept the tightenings that remove repetition, reject the ones that delete necessary breath or joke timing. Nothing applies without accept, which keeps panic cutting from becoming silent deletion you only notice tomorrow.
Use it scene by scene when only one sequence bloats, or more widely when the whole draft needs compression before a delivery. Pair with Dialogue pass when speeches are the weight, and with structural work when the real problem is a soft act design no trim can hide no matter how hard you cut.
Page count is a common trigger, but the same pass helps any scene that stalls. The goal is sharper momentum, not chasing a magic number alone.
No. It proposes cuts and compressions as reviewable markup. Nothing leaves the draft until you accept a suggestion on purpose.
Yes. Name a moment before a wide compression pass so you can restore if a cut removes necessary breath, setup, or joke timing.
No. It tightens what is already written. If the story needs a different turn, that is beat work -- not a compression skill.
