How can I make my story longer?

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Hey Jackie,
 
I wrote a book and I want to make it longer, if you have any tips or pointers that you could give me that would be great.

 

Tess
 
 

Hi Tess,

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There are a few reasons why  your story may be too short. Here are some pointers that may help you identify and solve the problem.

 

First idea: Show Don't Tell

 

You may have hurried the story, and the lead the reader too quickly to what happened, instead of showing them slowly and building up the tension.
For example the sentence:

Last night a murderer with a chainsaw jumped through my window but i escaped could be made into an exciting 20 pages.
 

Try 'showing' step-by-step, rather than just saying what happened.
 
Second idea: Add another scene

 

Someone else arrived. There's a problem doing a vital task. You get a flat tyre and the spare is flat ... it's hard to add a scene without knowing the story. (But please don't send me your story to help rewrite, and there are too many requests for me to be able to help).
 
Third Idea: Add another character

Try a funny character if it's a serious book, a serious one if it's a funny book. Varying the 'feel' on the book will give the scenes more impact.
 
Fourth idea: Keep thinking about your characters

Should you make them more complex, deeper, with more thoughts and ambitions?
 
Fifth idea: Keep thinking

The more think-and-rewrite-and-add the better your story will be. But you will only learn how to create rich stories by doing it yourself.

 

All best wishes,

 

Jackie 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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