Writing a book - How can I lengthen the story?

Question: Writing a book - How can I lengthen the story!?

I'm writing a fantasy novel!.!.!.!.and I don't seem to have any ideas on how to make it longer!. As it is, it seems very short even though the plot is rather complex (which I like)!. I don't want specific storyline ideas, but anything general would be good!. I just need tips!. I didn't let LotR give me inspiration as far as the plot or characters go, but I studied the first chapter in Fellowship of the Ring, and I still don't get what Tolkien did!. I mean, how did he make a chapter about a birthday party last so long!? The basic plot of the book is relatively simple, but it still lasts a long time!. I just don't know how to do that!.

And I know you might be thinking that I shouldn't even be writing it if I don't have enough to write about, but really!.!.!.I need to write it!. It isn't the plot; it's the characters!. They need to be written!. I think the characters will make it different than the other billion unheard of fantasy novels!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

The absolutely WORST possible thing you can do is go back in and add meaningless descriptions - filling the book up with irrelevant chapters and tons of adjectives and adverbs!. That is the sign of a rank amateur and all of that stuff will end up red penned by the editor anyway!.

A novel is anywhere between 50 - 150K words!. If you fall in that range and you have told your story from beginning to end - leave it alone!. If it is less than that, STILL leave it alone and make it a novella!.

What you have is a bad case of JKRowlingitis - you are trying to be another author - in this case it's Tolkienitis!. That is not YOU!. The more you try and write in his style, the farther away from your own voice you will get!.

If you were in one of my writing classes and you turned in a paper that sounded like Tolkien to me, I would ask you to sit quietly with me and tell me the story out loud!. I guarantee you that the story out loud in your own words would sound nothing like the Tolkien-esque story you wrote down on paper!. This is YOUR book, it is about YOUR voice!.

To quote Stephen King, when it comes to all these silly details about hair color, eye color, clothes, etc - he says "Spare Me"!. Unless there is some specific reason why I need to know this information - don't use it!. I would bet you couldn't correctly identify the eye color of half of the people you talk to every day!. Why!? Because when you are talking to them, you are focused on their thoughts, not the color of their eyes!. I just left 7-11!. I could not tell you what color eyes or hair the clerk had or what he was wearing!. It just doesn't matter!.

Mr!. King also says "the road to hell is paved with adverbs"!. By that he means, do not tell us things like!.

"Hello, Susan," he said happily!.

Show - not tell!. Spare us the excess adverbs and adjectives!.

NEVER substitute description for content!. By that I mean, do not use a ton of filler by using all kinds of words to describe simple things!. Do you know why people enjoy reading rather than going to movies!? Because they like being able to use their imagination!. Don't shove description down their throats!. Your forest is not necessarily the forest I imagine!. Allow your readers that luxury!. It is a sign of amateur authors to dump tons of adjectives and adverbs into paragraphs to extend them!. It's like adding water to a chocolate milkshake to make it last longer!. It may last longer, but it will taste like hell!. (I like that one!)

Remember what Shakespeare said in Henry V !.!.!.

Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hoofs i' th' receiving earth;
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings,
Carry them here and there, jumping o'er times,
Turning th' accomplishment of many years
Into an hour-glass; for the which supply,

In other words - it isn't necessary to describe a horse - everyone knows what a horse looks like!. And while we're at it, you know what a king looks like and an hourglass, too!. You aren't idiots - you are readers!.

Stephen King discusses this at length in his masterwork On Writing!. Amateur writers over describe!. They fill pages and pages with adjectives and adverbs and purple prose thinking they are doing their readers a great favor when in fact they are doing their readers an injustice by taking away that wonderful part of reading a book that is called "using your imagination"!.

If people wanted to know exactly what everything looked like - they would go to the movies!. Your story will be MUCH duller is people have to read page after page of vivid description of a horse than it will if you just say - it's a horse and move on!. Shakespeare knew that!. He knew to do otherwise was insulting to his audience!. Plus - he couldn't always afford horses for his plays!.
People who read aren't stupid!. They don't have to be led by the nose!. They have imaginations, too!.

He states that "The road to hell is paved with adverbs" And I am certain there are more than a few adjectives along the way!.

Use your vivid descriptions to put emotion and character into your story, but focus more on your plot and characterizations!. We don't need to know every single detail in nauseating detail!. It is just amateur, bad writing!.

Have you read On Writing!? You really should!. Pax-CWww@QuestionHome@Com

You could sinply try adding another 'short scence' but adding alot more detail towards it!.
Say if it wasa birthday party you were writing about, add a particular dance that the main character has, and explain everyones emotions at the time!.

Make your sentences long, and full of detail, such as instead or writing 'The moon glistened over the water' you could writing 'the moonlight sparkled across the water, as the stars above sparkled like diamonds, dancing across the calm surface of the lake!.'

Or yeah, hope my advice helped! :)Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'm in the same boat as you now!. I have a book that is about 100 pages typed!. Its good, but it needs a bit more to it!. Explain some back round, maybe a scene can have a little more to it, look for any where to put in anything that will be good, be careful not to get to talkative, don't explain how a scene looks for two pages, I hate that, If anything, do a big rewrite and add a sub plotWww@QuestionHome@Com

Some books Ive enjoyed gave description of the area it is about, moutains ocean, prairies, and a little history also!. And maybe a reference to sudden changing weather,, just some thoughts!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

creat a sub plot with minor character!.!.!.or make new minor characters to interact with your major characters

Dont try tyo be Tolkien, strive to be youWww@QuestionHome@Com

Length is not nearly so important as substance!.

Write with substance, and the length will come!. Or it may not!. Either way, "it's not the size, it's how you use it!."Www@QuestionHome@Com

First of all, why do you want to lengthen it!? Is it an audio book!? I usually have the opposite problem, my writing always seems to be too wordy!. The secret is in the details!.!.!.the more details, the longer it will be!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well, you can probably draw out your descriptions, make your readers be able to visualize what you write!. That should lengthen your book!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

be more descriptive!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

by adding twists to your story!

gudluck ;pWww@QuestionHome@Com

Develop some of the subplots!. Throw a monkey wrench into the story!.

For instance in SEARCH FOR THE SUN, the main plot was my main character solving a murder on a science fiction world!. The major subplot was his relationship with his family, particularly his father, and how it affected his decisions!. Another subplot had to with the queen and those around her!. It all tied in to the main plot and, because the queen and her grandson were real people, readers cared a hell of a lot more when the truth was discovered!.

Oh, rough draft of a first novel tends to be way too short and uncomplicated!. You learn as you go!. Look for where you can expand!. Keep in mind that your characters have a past!. Develop it!. You can add a whole new layer of conflict if one of your characters hated another one when they were younger!.

As far as LOTR goes, the written book is too long and too detailed for today's publishing market!. If it were submitted today, the second chapter and all of Tom Bombadil would have been cut out!. It would be a lot more like the movie!. This is one of the rare instances that a movie improved on the book because it eliminated the dead weight and expanded areas that Tolkien left in the appendices!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I had the same problem when I was writing my trilogy and I was constantly worried about them not being long enough or different events happening too close together!. I created basically a length criteria for each chapter I said it should be around 7 pages typed, that's what was good for me, yours might be different!. But if I didn't meet that criteria I would always go back and add detail and sometimes by the time you go back through and edit it you find places where you think "I could have said something else here" or "There could be more detail there" Sometimes the length will just come naturally!. A lot of the time readers like the whole see and not tell concept so detail is never a bad thing!. And sometimes when I needed a break between events in the books I would add what I call "filler chapters" where something would happen but it wasn't a major breakthrough in the story but it would hold the reader over until they got to the next big event, but it didn't make the book any less interesting or satisfying!. It's like the snack before the meal!. You know!? It might just be a time where you get to know the character a little bit better and bring out their personalities a little more and before you know it your chapters will be longer!. It's easier to go by chapter length instead of the full book length!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Use the plot to develop the characters!. In other words, getting there is half the fun!. Tolkien was a master of developing characters while they journeyed!. Bilbo's personality changed radically in "The Hobbit!." He went from complaining about not having a handkerchief to a travel savvy adventurer!.

If your plot seems short try some of these simple tricks to add length:

Side quests-sure the heroes are going to kill the dragon, but how!? They need to find the magic sword (or whatever) that will allow them to kill the dragon!.

Jump to the bad guy-Villains do not just wait for the heroes to show up!. They have to organize the followers, gain the power which will make them unstoppable, kidnap the princess, etc, etc, etc!. Keep in mind that the heroes are only as good as the villains they defeat!.

Comic relief-there is always the bumbling sidekick which will screw something up!. Sometimes more than one!.

A peaceful night's rest never happens-whether its raccoons scavenging through the campsite or the enemy patrols, something usually happens along the way!.Www@QuestionHome@Com