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How to make a book longer?!



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Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:22 pm
Vampiress says...



i AM WRITING A NOVEL.
K? Well, it's 36,000 short of words. Any tips on making it longer making things more descriptive???
whether they start good or bad, Every good writer starts somewhere
  





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Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:58 pm
Rosendorn says...



Plot twists and character relations. My only advice is to add plot twists and character relations.

Example: I started writing my novel at about 13, and when I finished it was about 36k (36,000 words). The plot was pretty simple. Boy meets girl, they uncover plot to kill them, they find out who the guy is quickly, go to kill him, he escapes (cut to sequel) end of story. A very simple plot that ended up being nowhere near enough. First thing I did was mix two plots together so the villain died at the end. That alone might have done it, but from my plot at the time I doubt it now. The plot was around 3 people, everything was a straightforward line, and the wordcount suffered.

My current plot has four major characters, five if you count an animal, three minor characters who show up in at least half the story (most likely four once I rewrite the novel), and more characters behind the scenes than I care to count. The "behind the scenes" characters don't usually speak, but some leave notes behind and others are there to provide intrigue and more the main character has to worry about. There are minor twists everywhere (things happening in day-to-day life the MC [Main Character] sort-of expected but don't really alter the plot) and a handful of major twists (things the MC didn't expect. These both alter plot and provide some major upsets in her life). She's also keeping track of interactions between all major and minor characters and is usually aware of the bit parts. My current count is a little over 30k for maybe a third of the story. A quarter would probably be closer.

Make things hard for your characters. Give them upsets, both minor (lots of minor. Minor upsets cause conflict which drives plot) and major, make the plot encompass more people.

Hope this helps!

~Rosey
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Thu Feb 11, 2010 3:42 am
Antigone Cadmus says...



I don't even think that you necessarily need to make it longer. Don't feel pressured to make a story longer; if you've wrote as much as seems needed, that's all that's needed. Don't force creativity. If you think you've completed your novel, well done! Go back and revise, and add where you think you should add. Don't add for the sake of word count.

-Antigone
Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse requiris?
nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.
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Thu Feb 11, 2010 5:20 am
Writersdomain says...



Don't worry about wordcount! If you have told the story and are satisfied with it, leave it alone for a little while and edit as needed, but forcing length is never a good idea! Especially when you aren't in the middle of National Novel Writing Month and there isn't any set wordcount you need to reach. Rosey's suggestions are good for character detail and plot advancement, but, if you have told your story, there is no need to fatten it up unless you edit it and decide it needs fattening!
~ WD
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"All I know, all I'm saying, is that a story finds a storyteller. Not the other way around." ~Neverwas
  





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Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:59 pm
SakuraFallsSweetly♥ says...



Hey! I think it's easy to write longer books when you do this; Chapter one Write bullet points. A topic per paragraph, and list what event will happen. Chapter 2Do the exact same. Eventually, when you do this with every chapter it won't seem like you're cramming a whole story into a few chapters. PLAN EVERY CHAPTER! Bullet points and topics. Great help. Then the rest will come naturally. It will lead up to the big plot eventually, so I would go with this idea. Good luck!
The only true failure, is when you give up. ♥
  





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Sat Feb 13, 2010 9:11 am
Hippie says...



Despite what others have said, the sweet spot in the publishing industry is around 80k words, give or take depending on genre and age group. I have no experience with publishing, but from what I've read, your chances are better if the length is about that.

The only real ways to make the book longer are to lengthen the plot, or squeeze more out of the current plot by adding twists, more depth, other points of view or any other content. Remember, you want to add guts, not padding, so make sure everything you add enhances the story.
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Sun Mar 07, 2010 11:42 pm
Lauren2010 says...



Another thing to consider is just writing a novella, or perhaps just a short story. As far as I know (which isn't very far inthis instance) both of those are also publishable and no where near 80,000 words like Hippie said. Here's something on word counts that I found...

Short Short: Under 2,000 words
Short story: 2,000--7,500 words
Novelette (General Fiction): 7,500--15,000 words
Novelette (SF & Fantasy): 7,500--17,500 words
Novella (General Fiction): 15,000--30,000 words
Novella (SF & Fantasy): 17,500--40,000 words
Novel (General Fiction): Over 30,000 words
Novel (SF & Fantasy): Over 40,000 words
(from a topic in the Publication or Perish YWS usergroup)

Now, I find it unlikely that Short stories are publishable all on their own (they'd probably be more likely to be found in a collection of short stories) but everything else should be. And if you don't want to publish, then it really doesn't matter on word count. Just write what you think is the right amount, and you'll be happy with it.
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Tue Mar 16, 2010 3:10 am
dreamwriter58 says...



You should try and add as much detail as possible. But at the same time you should make sure its not something that takes away from the story. If you do this to your whole book, and your still short don't worry your book will be fine length wise.
  





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Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:24 pm
Dr.Atl says...



Well if you feel that the story is not finished, then it is time to go back in and start asking yourself what parts you think need more explaining and what others are dead weight. If you're not happy with the plot, add in a few sub plots to complement and eventually meet the main plot at the climax. If you aren't happy with a character and feel that they no longer serve a purpose, either revise them or kill them off. Death is always good for more content if you do it right. I'm currently working on a novel as well and it's only just about to hit 30,000 words. My goal is at least 80,000.
  





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Thu Mar 25, 2010 12:20 am
amanda0450 says...



I wouldn't try making your novel more descriptive than it already is. Too much description makes the reader bored, and he or she may not continue reading. I've put down several books in the past because there were too many descriptive paragraphs.

I wrote a story a while ago and I wanted it to be longer so I added lots of useless scenes. I wouldn't recommend that either unless the scenes are somewhat relevant to the plot. Otherwise it's just pointless.

Therefore, I don't think trying to make your novel longer is a good idea. Keep it short and interesting rather than long and boring.
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Fri Apr 02, 2010 2:13 pm
napalmerski says...



Yo,
techniques to up the wordcount is a very legitimate issue, what with publishers having delusions of corporate grandeur and imposing ridicilous word count barriers... and here is my take on it:
1) dreams - have people dream long dreams which may or may not tie in with the plot
2) news - have them read or watch or listen to news which may or may not tie in with the plot
3) descriptions - when it doubt - start describing. The desk is not only wooden. It's worn or new. It's tacky or fashionabale, or retro. It reminds the protagonist of something else. There is various small stuff on the desk. Beneath the desk is the carpet. An expensive-dirty-thin-thick carpet. Etc. Any place, any moment, descriptions can be added. If you do it adequately - it just enchances.
4) memories - have someone suddenly recount something which happend to/was told to him years ago, which may or may not tie in with the plot
5) dialogues - add a few red herrings, dead ends, misunderstandings and topic jumping in the dialogues
6) songs/poetry - have someone recite/listen to or sing/listen to to poetry or music
7) detailed acts. Break up acts into their elements. Break up 'he phoned Jim' into 'he puffed, scratched his ear, leaned forward and picked up the phone. After thinking for another few seconds, he finally dialed a number and listened tensly to the signal. Then his features softened and he swallowed a few times in preparation. "Hey Jim, is that you?" he said, gesturing with his free hand as if he was visible.' ...You get the idea. Just like the setting of any situation can be described more, once you break it into different elements, the same goes for any act.
8) repeat stuff as a flashback. - that's recycling stuff which you've already described once. Have someone remember it and describe it again. Or if he'she tries to find out what 'really happened' then, or something, the situation can be recycled many times, as the protagonist ponders what took place then.
Hahaha, good luck with inflating your stuff
she got a dazed impression of a whirling chaos in which steel flashed and hacked, arms tossed, snarling faces appeared and vanished, and straining bodies collided, rebounded, locked and mingled in a devil's dance of madness.
Robert Howard
  





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Fri Apr 02, 2010 11:50 pm
Hippie says...



A good exercise to do (to make your book longer or just more interesting) is to take a couple of scenes and brainstorm as many possible ways that scene could go as you can. Whenever you think of something good, ask yourself "how can I up the ante even more."

These will often require some set-up earlier, which could also add to your word count.
Q: Where do you go to buy shoes?

A: At the shoez canal, lol.
  





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Fri Apr 09, 2010 11:28 pm
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Hippie says...



Digging up this old thread because one of the blogs I follow has just published an article on this very subject. http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2010/04/bulking-up.html
Q: Where do you go to buy shoes?

A: At the shoez canal, lol.
  





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Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:12 am
Jianfre says...



Personally, you are either done or about done if you are finished with editing. Do not add filler to your story, if people wanted filler they would watch the news all day long.
  





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Tue Feb 12, 2019 10:54 pm
TheLoneGrimReaper says...



I'm trying to edit my book but I need some advice on how to water my book down. I have 2 books both around 100pgs+ but about 40,000 words short. I keep going back and adding in but what I need is to thin it down more than anything. Any advice?
  








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