𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲

Proper post for a late 1st of March!

Because novels take so long to perfect and take up so much space in our minds, the story can start to feel stagnant after a while. Maybe you have less faith in your manuscript than you did at the start. Here are some tips for adding some oomph to your wip:

1. Make one of your primary/secondary characters an undercover villain

I recently decided to do this with my wip and I honestly think that it has elevated the plot so much.

This will help to complicate the conflict in the novel, as well as the relationships between the characters

A plot twist (especially one that is introduced during the climax) can be a great way to take your work to the next level.

Leaving little Easter eggs throughout the novel, but still being subtle will have the reader engaged, and will help get you excited about your project again.

This is merely a suggestion. Any well-written plot twist can apply.

2. Introduce a romantic subplot

If your wip doesn’t have a romantic subplot, I would suggest adding one if it suits the type of novel and if you feel that you’d want to write a bit of romance.

A romantic subplot adds an extra layer of tension, anticipation and immersion to a novel. Oftentimes, it will be this story line that keeps the reader hooked.

If you already have a romantic subplot (or perhaps you’re writing a romance novel), but it seems a bit flat, try building up the tension for longer. Premature gratification may leave readers unexcited for the rest of the book. You could also try to add more external conflict or have your couple face a struggle that is unique to them.

3. Employ additional styles of writing

Add diary entries, letters, newspaper articles, stream-of-consciousness passages or even a scene that consists solely of dialogue. Add a small passage at the end of every chapter from the villain’s point of view. Go crazy.

Interesting forms of writing can be used to convey deeper aspects of your novel and can add extra intensity. These additions could be used to give the reader clues as to an approaching plot twist or can be used to convey the history/social environment of your world. It can also provide insight into characters’ thoughts and feelings.

If you would like me to do a post based on these types of texts and how you can use them in creative writing, comment on this post.

4. Write in the present tense

Most novels are written in the past tense and this can work very well. However, if your manuscript starts to feel stagnant, it might be time to switch to present tense. I know that rewriting what you have in a different tense sounds like hell, but it could mean the difference between a good novel and a great one.

Present tense creates a sense of immediacy. The stakes seem higher, the conflict more immersive and the characters closer to the reader. This is because it doesn’t feel like the reader is being told a story that happened in a far-removed time, but rather like the reader is seeing everything as it happens.

This is especially good for thrillers, apocalyptic works, action, horror or any other genre that is fast-paced and full of tension.

5. Complicate your main character’s background

I recently decided to turn my protagonist into an ex-cage fighter and it has really brought back my excitement for working on this project.

By adding depth to your character’s back story, you add layers to their personality. This will make the way they interact with other characters more interesting, as well as open up new plot avenues.

This is especially useful when you feel that your main character is not developed/complex enough. 

So, bring in interesting family relationships, past occupations, secret hobbies, bad relationships, problems with the law, encounters with life-changing individuals etc. It will make your main character all the more engaging.

That’s all I have for now. I hope this is helpful. If you would like a Part 2, please comment. If you have any questions regarding reviving a stagnant manuscript (or any other aspect of creative writing), please do not hesitate to ask. My ask box and DMs are always open for fellow writers!

Reblog if you found any of this useful!

Do you have any tips of your own? Comment!

you can just talk to your players about what they want to do next. like it’s not hard. you can just say “hey guys you get to decide as a party what investigative arc you want to take on next, you have something like five real options, all of which represent 5-10 sessions of content, it’s totally up to you, follow your hearts, just let me know in advance so I can prepare the right material for yall. DMing is a lot of work so I appreciate the heads up about what major endeavor you want to take on next. talk amongst yourselves and let me know your decision. make good choices, I love you.”

it’s not a sign of weakness to be like “yeah the entire world isn’t 100% built out to the minutest detail, I’m not going to design Andrei’s vacation home until I know you’re going to it.” my players assume that I know all of the big picture stuff, they trust me to keep all the details that are made up session by session consistent, and they know that the more they telegraph their intentions to me, the better the game will be. If they want to do something wild, like steal a car and drive 50 miles to go to a house they haven’t seen in 5 sessions, they message me during the week to be like, “Hey, I think Dunya wants to do this.” and I’m like, great, thanks for letting me know. Now something cool will happen when you do.

I think a lot of inexperienced DMs have the wrong idea about what ‘DM omniscience’ is supposed to look like. if I introduce something to them - say if a PC has a strange note slipped to them that says Do we find in you a friend of the Old Believers? - the players need to believe that they can interact with this note in any way possible, and the world will respond consistently. They need to believe that the Old Believers are a real group of people that they can deal with in any way they can think of. They need to believe that whoever sent this note had a logical reason for doing so. They need to believe that if they ask, “hey, wait a minute, what about X?” in any respect in regards to the note, I will have an immediate answer, and that the answer will be consistent with the rest of the world as they have experienced it.

DM omniscience does not mean that if they all just randomly get on a plane to Singapore, they should reasonably expect me to have a session’s worth of content waiting for them there. They can go to Singapore. They absolutely can go to Singapore. The rest of our time this evening is now us having a conversation about why you went to Singapore, and what you hope to achieve while you are there, and then you all go home and I get a week to create that content.

If my players walk into a bar, I describe a couple of likelies for them to talk to, and they go “who else is here?” - wanting to talk to a person I haven’t created yet - I turn it back around on them. What kind of person are you looking for? It’s a crowded bar, there are like 200 people here. Are you looking for a man, a woman, someone young or old, someone playing cards, what are you hoping to achieve? I don’t have 200 people locked and loaded. My players know that. They don’t believe that they could line up everyone in this bar and talk to each and every one of them and get their life story. And they know it would be incredibly antagonistic of them to try. They know that what they CAN do is tell me what they want, and why, and then they can talk to that person.

like, this whole exercise is collaborative. if your players want maximum choice, that means they need to give you guidance. you’re not a mind reader, and you’ve got a life to live outside of the game. 

for you im a sucker