A tip for under-writers
Do you struggle to meet typical novel word counts? Do scenes and plot lines feel underdeveloped? Are you unsure of what to add?
Here’s a tip that’s changed the trajectory of my current manuscript.Â
If you’re ever daydreaming about your charecters, or see a prompt, or a far-fetched idea and think ‘Hey, I wonder what my charecters would do in this situation?’
Write it.Â
Write that scene, that AU, that relationship that doesn’t feel like it’ll work. No matter how far fetched it feels, write it. Even if it’s just a 400-word drabble you did for a tumblr ask game, write it and save it.Â
Because nine times out of ten?Â
That scene, that idea, that arc you didn't think would work? You can fit it into the story. You can make it cohesive. I’ve added over 10K to Cremation this way, and guess what? It works. The charecters are more developed and get a spotlight, I’ve solved several pacing and plot hole issues, and the book is more fleshed out, all because I allowed myself to write scenes that ‘wouldn’t work in canon’Â
They do. They really do. Writing those scenes pays off, and it pays off well.Â
So write them, even if it’s a joke at first. Write them, and soon you won’t be able to remember your story before them.
