Some Deleted Segments

The first draft of Ned ran over a thousand pages, so even though the finished novel is a long one, much was deleted before publication. Here are a few random deleted sequences in their un-edited glory; a smattering of excised passages and the author’s reasons for cutting them:

From Chapter 1 - An extended history of Columbus, Kansas.

This seemed to be more information on Ned’s city than a reader may need and a little rambling, even for me. Ned’s excerpts also sound more like his diary entries than his Real Columbus Newsletter.

From Chapter 8 – Thoughts on how humor changes over time.

On rereading this passage, I wasn’t certain it worked in the chapter on Quo Vadis. I rewrote it several times, but it still read like I was putting a left shoe on a right foot and then pretending it fit.

From Chapter 11 – Clarence (Ned’s father) and the last buffalo story. 

I read this story in a 1930s edition of the Wichita Eagle and was surprised to see Clarence mentioned in it. The article was a factual, this-happened-then-that-happened sort of feature story and I rewrote it to tie the buffalo’s death to Clarence’s father’s so it would have a deeper meaning for him. But it felt out of place—too melancholy and tragic; a sad tale that dragged the chapter off in a depressing direction. For me the Clarence story in the novel works better and is as valid as the one about the buffalo. 
Judge Ned at the helm of his manual typewriter in the mid 1960s

Judge Ned at the helm of his manual typewriter in the mid 1960s

Tom threw out a full chapter on the lives of children in Columbus at the turn of the Twentieth Century. It contained a reference to the above photo, which the author called, "Ned sitting on his ass." 

Tom threw out a full chapter on the lives of children in Columbus at the turn of the Twentieth Century. It contained a reference to the above photo, which the author called, "Ned sitting on his ass."