Lengthening Writing

I'm starting my novel today, and I have more than enough material, but I need to know what I can do to make each segment last. I have a tendency to speed through events too fast. If you could help me earn how to lengthen my writing I'd appreciate it.

description and conflict. Let the reader know enough description, backstory, and exposition to understand what's happening. Then take as long as you need to in order to develop and resolve the conflict in each scene.

~Annie

...or another method is finish the story now, than go back and fill in the details later; dialogue, description, backstory, etc. After all, that is what editing is for. It's a very handy tool if I may say so.

Yeah, just because you write down words doesn't mean they're set in stone. You can write out the basic story now, then go back and add/take away whatever you want.

To add on to the description thing, remember that we have five senses. Taste, smell, sight, feel, and your hearing. Use them to get the reader more involved in the story.

Agreed.

Subplots are good too, especially if they offer a contrast in tone and mood to the overarching main plot. Example: a crime thriller revolving around a missing person (main plot), but the detective's investigations clash with his birthday celebrations (subplot). You can even have several plot strands all running simultaneously like a soap!

Adding length for content is one thing, but you shouldn't write more just cause it sounds longer. Make sure to look at your paragraphs and ask yourself if they really need another description of some pointless object just to add length.

It depends and it's a technique that is sometimes undesireable but write the ending of your story first - if you know it - and then work your way up to the climax and then ultimately you should reach your endpoint. With this method, you'll know exactly (or should) what you need to focus on - i.e., plot, descriptions, backstories, setting, sentence structure, etc.

If nothing else, this method my be worth an attempt.

My suggestion is that the author should not merely focus on the plot and the characters. Give a breadth of life and some nuances to the settings and characters by writing descriptions. It does not necessarily contribute to the plot or the characters, but well written descriptions adds dynamics to the atmosphere of the novel.

Reason Invalid wrote:My suggestion is that the author should not merely focus on the plot and the characters. Give a breadth of life and some nuances to the settings and characters by writing descriptions. It does not necessarily contribute to the plot or the characters, but well written descriptions adds dynamics to the atmosphere of the novel.

You can have the most beautifully written paragraph of the beach your character passes by for a second but in the end it's a pointless and random distraction that disrupts the story. Adding description to things that don't need more description or any at all is the same thing.