Do any of you do this? It's a bad habit of mine. Even though my editors say I can beef it up when typing it up, I'm the kind of girl who wants to get as much as possible on the first draft. I've had what I thought would be novels turn into novellas, and novellas into short stories. So what should I do to stop this problem in early on?
I have a similar problem - I use the bookshelf muse setting and emotion thesaurus' I find grounding my characters in their surrounding and putting thought into the interactions with other people really helps with flow and pacing. I still add a lot second time through but it provides a good and useful base.
Are you certain it's a bad habit? If you want to write a novel perhaps, simply, you need more plot? Do you capture the truth of things in a few words? Are you able to create the needed atmosphere with a few, clipped, pungent phrases? Are you treating your readers with respect by not lingering on the bleedin' obvious? I see a tendency towards concision in your post. Few words is perhaps your default setting. Be sure it's a problem before looking to fix it.
Well maybe try to put more obstacles up for your characters. Make them really work to achieve their goals. Use try/fail cycles. (A character should fail at least twice before succeeding). Maybe try to integrate more characters in your story as well. Not too many that you can't handle them. I found that adding just one character to my own story added more "filler." More scenes to insert, more problems to cover Think about your conflicts too. Are there any more you can pull out of your story? Ones that effect your characters either in a small or big way?
Huh, I never really thought of that. One of my editors said something like that, though. Maybe I'm making the plots too simple? Makes it easier to tell people about, though...
Art has a very good point Long novels and short stories are both great if they relay the strong themes the author is trying to say.
If you finally decide that your writing is too bare, try really experiencing the experiences of your characters. This can involve including any sensory stimulation they are aware of, or their thoughts. The inner thoughts, obviously, can be a great way of learning more about your character and giving your reader a better sense of them. There needs to be a balance of course between these kinds of details and action. I think sometimes its hard to write in a slow detailed way because it is boring. (We want to get to the action!) But taking the time to appreciate the subtleties of your own characters and the universe which you simulate will give the reader a more full experience. Details can be fascinating on their own if they're nuanced. What I'm basically saying is when you're writing, be in the moment! Don't worry about the next paragraph or next chapter.
In addition to using plot as your only rudder, trying marrying the character's to an emotional arc than runs concurrent with the storyline, spawing changes in behavior, outlook , sense of themselves in the universe etc, In today's general fiction marketplace the character arc looms large in the sucess or failure equation.
I agree. I find technically over-complicated writing or plots to be unnecessary and demeaning toward het audience. Perhaps your plot's start/end point can be moved; start earlier or end later? Are there any key ideas you haven't completely explored? If, in the end, you cannot find anything missing in the time line, maybe the story has run its course? Why not assemble a collection of short stories or write a series of vignettes that come together for a common beginning or ending?
if the story is moving too fast you can develop the plot better, develop the characters more sometimes when finding out more about them it gives you ideas to mroe aspects of the story and new problms that may arrise etc. You can also check if you are very light on descriptions of things. My first drafts are usually quite lean too, but I put these things in when rewriting it. its like im so anxious to get the basics of the story onto paper that I overlook these details. They come later but it doesnùt mean I ignore them.
