Acing Pacing In Your Writing

Underwriting: ways to boost your word count

I wrote a fic recently and the word count for the first draft came to about 40,000 words – roughly the length of a novella or ficlet. And that’s fine because I wasn’t striving for a novel or a 100K slow-burn coffee shop AU.

But coming to edit my first draft I realised something about myself. I am an underwriter. My fic could actually be at least 10k (maybe 20k) longer. Of course it’s not all about word count, it’s about the story, but in this case a smaller word count isn’t because I’m a fantastically efficient storyteller it’s because I’ve missed out a lot of stuff. Like, Important Stuff.

So as I set out to add muscle to the skin and bones I’ve already created in draft one I thought I’d share five tips for my fellow underwriters to help you flesh out your writing too.

1)     Make sure to describe the place and space in which the action happens.

There are quite a few places in my first draft where there’s no indication as to where things are taking place– or there is, but it’s the bare minimum and not really enough to build up a clear picture. This probably because as the writer I know exactly what the place looks like so I make the assumption that a bare minimum description will mean the reader knows too.

Now I’m not saying go into masses of detail about what your settings look like. In some cases it’s not useful to describe setting in a lot of detail (e.g. during really fast paced action sequences) but doing a verbal sketch of the space is essential for putting your characters in context and reader understanding.

I really is a fine balance (which is why beta readers are your friend!) But definitely go back to your setting descriptions if you’re an underwriter, they might need some work.

2)    Make sure to describe your character’s appearance.

Similar to the above point – you know what your characters look like, but unless you describe them, the reader won’t.

It’s fair to say that descriptions are open to reader interpretations, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t describe them in a healthy amount of detail. So you might try to nail down some of the interesting quirks about your characters to help the reader build a picture – not only will it help the readers understanding, it’ll boost your word count too!

Note: This one functions a little differently in a fic because the readers are probably familiar with how the character looks, but there is nothing wrong with adding your interpretation (or even reminding them, especially if the characters are from a book.)

3)   Include character reactions outside of what they say out loud.

Real life conversations aren’t just about the stuff that comes out of our mouths. So much of human interaction is about body language – so include it in your writing! Saying that the character covers their mouth with their hand when they talk suggests shyness. While another character crossing their arms shows they’re defensive -perhaps because they’re feeling threatened. In real life we don’t always say what we mean – but a lot of the time our actions give away what we’re really thinking. By including these actions around dialogue writers can influence how we as readers view characters and how we interpret interactions between characters. And it can boost your word count too.

The big stuff:

4)     Check your pacing.

When you write it feels like your scene is taking place over hours, days, weeks because when you’re writing it takes time. Reading, on the other hand, is much quicker. A seasoned reader can fly through a 100 page novel in a few hours – a seasoned writer can spend hours writing a 100 words.

When you read back your writing, make sure to check your pacing. You might just find that the Impossible Task you set for your characters at the start of the story is suddenly resolved within the next fifty pages. To boost your word count you might want to start by adding more obstacles between the character and their goal.

For example; your character has to find an object such as a precious jewel. Sounds relatively easy, right? But what if the jewel is lost in the mines of an ancient people, amongst thousands of other treasures that look very similar? What if no one has found this jewel because it’s guarded by a fire breathing dragon? What if the ancient mines and dragon are located in a mountain which is miles and miles away across dangerous lands? What if your characters need to enlist the help of someone with a very specific skill set?

You take one simple objective (finding the jewel) and you put into play a series of obstacles that must be overcome in order to complete the objective. Your underwriting tendencies, like mine, might just mean that there aren’t enough metaphorical (or real) dragons in your story!

5)    Sub-plots.

A sub-plot is a smaller scale plot - often involving the supporting characters - which runs secondary to the main plot. It can be directly linked to the main plot, i.e. the info provided in the subplot directly influences events in the main plot. Or it can simply be linked through place, time or themes of the overall story (e.g. Hermione’s elf rights campaign ‘S.P.E.W’ in Harry Potter and the OoTP is linked to the overall theme of oppression.)

Sub-plots are great because they can serve as some respite from a traumatic main plot; your character is fighting a war (main plot) but also fighting and failing (in hilarious ways) to win the affection of their love interest (sub-plot).

Plus, sub-plots can also help with characterisation, can cause your main character to have the moment of realisation which allows them to overcome the obstacles they face in the main plot and is generally a better reflection of real life! Sub-plots often centre on side-kicks and other characters – people who might not be as devoted to the end goal as the protagonist is. In fact, well written side characters seemingly live their own lives with their own goals. You might choose to showcase this in your sub-plot by letting the conflict of interest cause more problems for the protagonist to overcome.

Either way you could find your word count sky rockets as soon as you add in a few clever sub-plots.

I hope this helped!

Got any questions? Send me an ask

the only real thing

you loved me like it was routine the kisses felt like chores you held me out of necessity and you touched me in familar steps

the i love yous were repetitive and the good nights felt compelled your eyes no longer looked at me whenever we collided and your skin no longer electrified at my touch the smiles you’ve been giving me were calculated and the days when you loved me were on schedule

the only real thing that was out of the plan and the only real thing that broke our little pattern was the only real thing that i never thought twice on it was deciding that i had to leave right then and there

This sounds so interesting! Could I be added to the tag list please?

WIP Intro: Lessons in Humanity from a Future Physicist

Genre: Adult literary fiction // Status: Drafted Several Times Over // Themes: Relationships, healing, mental health, self-image // Word Count: 101,476 // Pinterest Board // Playlist // WIP Page 

When I was 12, I thought something along the lines of “yeah, I can write a novel”, made a bunch of cringey characters, and slapped the name We’re All Dead After All on it. Oh boy, was that a ride. Now, six years later, I’m still working with these characters, but I have changed literally everything about WADAA, including the name. 

Lessons in Humanity from a Future Physicist is my oldest and most loved work. It’s grown as I have, in complexity and quality. It can be an absolute disaster, at times, but I still love it dearly.

What is this?

Lessons in Humanity from a Future Physicist is an adult novel that follows Kam Suzuki, a physics major and a NASA enthusiast, as he deals with the traumatic aftereffects of his brother Vic’s mental health issues, his repressed emotions, and other problems related to mental health, all while supporting Zach Amsel, his best friend and fellow NASA enthusiast, as they begin their first year at their prestigious university.

In short: Lessons in Humanity is a novel about relationships and healing.

It’s probably my favorite work (don’t tell any of the others because they’ll be jealous) just because I’ve had it the longest. I know these characters better than I know myself some days. I’m constantly thinking about this work in particular, because I’m so attached to it.

Who are these people?

I’ll do some proper character introductions later on, but here are some rapid-fire mini intros!

Kam Suzuki (Lawful Good, ISTJ, Hufflepuff, Libra) is the protagonist, a NASA-obsessed science nerd who loves Star Trek and loves to repress his emotions. 

Zach Amsel (Neutral Good, ISFJ, Ravenclaw, Aquarius) is Kam’s best friend, a high-achieving, neurotic young man who’s looking for love in all the wrong places. 

Nikki Espinosa-Jasso (Lawful Neutral, INFP Gryffindor, Capricorn) is the Mom Friend of the group. She’s more than done with the boys’ bullshit, but she loves them regardless.

Kevin Espinosa (Chaotic Neutral, ESFP Slytherin, Gemini) is a fun-loving guy who really only cares about living a hedonistic lifestyle in the now.

Vic Suzuki (Neutral Good, ISTJ, Ravenclaw, Libra) is Kam’s twin brother. He’s dealing with his mental health issues and learning how to take care of himself.

Gerard Shimmish (Chaotic Good, ESFP, Gryffindor, Leo) is Vic’s long-term boyfriend and one of Kam’s closest friends. Despite his childish habits, Gerard is profound and loves caring for others.

Ruth Spencer (Lawful Good, ESFJ, Ravenclaw, Virgo) is a brilliant young woman who loves to read and always gives out good advice.

Jessica McClain (Chaotic Good, ENFP, Gryffindor, Cancer) is a naive goofball who wants to be nice to everyone.

Chai Watson (Chaotic Neutral, ESFP, Slytherin, Aries) is someone who’s been through some hard times and is slowly becoming what she hates most- her mother.

What are the jams?

My playlist for Lessons in Humanity has a lot of awesome songs on it! It’s got some decent space-themed vibes. The songs I listen to the most are:

Twin Size Mattress - The Front Bottoms

Saturn - Sleeping at Last

Hurt - Oliver Tree

Venus - Sleeping at Last

3rd Planet - Modest Mouse

Meteor Showers - Andy Kong

Morning in America - Jon Bellion

Neptune - Sleeping at Last

Stressed Out - Twenty One Pilots

Excerpt

“Xenon.” Kam straightens himself, pulling his shirt and hoodie from his chest and fixing his glasses. He doesn’t say we are noble gasses. He doesn’t say we’re both lonely, but I think that’s why we get along. He doesn’t say I wish I understood people like you do. 

“Xenon,” Zach repeats, sounding like Kam. He almost reaches out to touch Kam’s face, run the backs of his fingers over Kam’s jaw. Almost. He holds himself back from the inappropriate touch that Kam won’t appreciate and clears his throat. “Did you like your ramen?” 

Kam nods wordlessly. 

“Good.” Zach nods. “Good.” He chews on the inside of his mouth and rubs the back of his neck. “Good,” he repeats, then shuts himself up. 

Kam sits, self-contained as always. He is his own universe, detached from everything and everyone else. Maybe he isn’t krypton, but helium, unable to form any bonds, floating alone in the vast nothingness of the universe. Helium is the loneliest element.

Who’s interested?

You can always ask to be added or subtracted from the tag list!

OH, GLORY - a wip introduction by @whorizcn​​​​.

fame is a languid and fragile thing. calypso quintero knew that all too well.

GENRE: contemporary na psychological thriller STATUS: plotting && outlining THEMES/TROPES: blackmail, deadly ambition, deception, found family except everyone lowkey hates each other, manipulation, the morality of fame, power struggle, privilege WARNINGS: alcholism, drug use, eating disorders, mental illness, sexual assult, suicide LINKS: wip page, wip tag, pinterest, playlist

SYNOPSIS:

  21-year-old calypso quintero had it all: fame, awards, designer clothes, affluent parents who never knew the word no, millions of fans worshiping the very ground she walked, beauty and talent at her fingertips.

  adored by many and envied by thousands, she had the life that teenage girls dreamed of. she had a heartthrob of a boyfriend that starred in countless blockbusters, and an elite girl squad that dominated all social media outlets and graced the front covers of every relevant magazine: her name whispered like a hymn amongst her fans.

  well, that was until she was found floating in the waters of her malibu mansion’s pool, with a gun clutched in her right hand and a bullet buried in her left temple.

  calypso quintero had it all, so why did she kill herself?

TAGLIST (tagging a few people whom i think may be interested!) ask to be added/removed!

@emdrabbles​​​, @omgbrekkerkaz​​​ , @vandorens​​​, @southerngothiques​​​, @jugularss​​​, @apollchiles​​​, @holotones​​

An Excerpt

Lessons in Humanity from a Future Physicist, Morgan S.

Taglist: @aelenko​, @keen2meecha​, @magic-is-something-we-create​, @emdrabbles​, @yourwriters​, @lordfenric​, & @quenvicky​

I love that excerpt!

cocaine, a car wreck, and an apple pie recipe. 

a modern retelling of sophocles’ ajax, wintersong is 18-year-old and terribly wayward hollis knox’s aching love letter to all the good in the world: grocery store aisles’ uneven green-and-white flecked tiles, shared secrets behind calloused hands, and little brothers’ sunday morning swim meets. all the good that atrophies too fast. 

goal words: 50,000

current words: 21,000

weheartit board

here’s an excerpt from the first chapter:

let me know what you think!

p.s. i follow from studylikeathena. 

Thanks to @inkingfireplace for tagging me!

1.     Name: Anthea

2.     Nickname: Ann

3.     Star Sign: scorpio

4.     Prefered pronouns: she/her

5.     Sexuality: lesbian

6.     Favourite Color: blue

7.     Time Right Now:  14:59

8.     Average Hours of Sleep: seven hours

9.     Lucky Number(s): nine

10.  Last Thing I Googled: corona universities

11.  Number of Blankets: one

12.  Favourite Fictional Character: Luna Lovegood

13.  What are you wearing: green jeans and a grey sweater

14.  Favorite Book: Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe by Benjamin Alire Saénz

15.  Favorite Musician(s): Coldplay, Muse, Racoon, U2

16.  Dream Job: astrophysicist or writer

17.  Number of Followers: 33

18.  When Did You Create Your Blog: a few months ago

19.  What Do You Mostly Post: things about my wips or about writing in general

20.  What Made You Decide to Get a Tumblr: I thought it would be fun

21.  When Did Your Blog Reach Its Peak: not yet I guess

22.  Do You Get Asks on a Daily Basis: no

23.  Why Did You Choose Your URL: I wanted a username related to writing and this one wasn’t taken yet.

Tagging: @dowings, @myhusbandsasemni, @poeticparchment, @inklingsoflaura, @epicpoetry

Welcome to the first in a very long series of posts in which I talk about my writing process from conception to the end of my first draft. I wanted to do this series for a few reasons: 

I think that learning about others’ writing processes is really interesting. I get to see other ways of going about my work, thinking either wow, that’s really insightful, and I should implement that or I definitely won’t be using that, but now I know that about myself. 

I also think it’s important to understand others’ processes is important, because it allows you to see other views of writing besides your own. You will learn very quickly that I am a planner (or, as George RR Martin says, an Architect, which I prefer). I sit down and plan everything. Some people can’t fathom that, but I hope those people will come to understand why I do it this way, rather than the Gardening way. 

Before we start, I want to add a little disclaimer: what works for me might not work for you. I’m not presenting this, or any of the subsequent posts in this series, as fact, but just my own way of going about our shared profession. 

Also, finally, I will be discussing all of these steps in greater detail. Don’t worry. 

Let’s go!

THE STEPS

1. GENRE. Before I start with anything, I start with genre. Genre is the flavor, it’s the broad idea of a story. It colors everything that comes after.  

2. CHARACTERS. Characters are the next thing on my list. I can’t develop my plot until I have my characters, because I want to tie my plot to my characters and their backstories and motivations. 

3. WORLDBUILDING. Not everything I write needs a lot of worldbuilding, but worldbuilding comes right around here. It’s often combined with steps 2 and 4, but a large bit of it gets done after character creation. 

4. PLOT AND OUTLINE. This is the part of the process when I start coming up with the plot and working on my outline. This part takes a while! My outline is essentially my first draft, so I need a lot of time to work on the pacing and flow.

5. FIRST DRAFT. The first draft is definitely the hardest, I think for anyone. I don’t have a lot to say here, other than just get through it. It doesn’t matter how long it takes - I’m definitely not one of those people who can slam out a draft in a month - just do it. Start, and keep working on it until it’s done. 

And that’s about it! I’m planning on talking about my drafting and editing process at some point, but I need to finish My Heart is a Concert first. Let me know if you found this helpful or insightful, and look forward to my upcoming articles!

I may have messed up. I may have, perhaps, created another WIP just a bit late for Camp Nano. But never fear! Introducing…

When Stars Die

The empty clutches of deep space have been their home for years. The abandoned planets that have lain in beautiful destruction for centuries have been their refuge. The nights of the creatures that stalk them with every breath have been their fuel. But something has changed - and Avery is the catalyst. The galaxy that has ignored them for so long has awakened, sending battle carriers and soldiers into Avery’s territory, putting out notices for their capture or confirmed kill. Aliens and humans alike are whipped into a frenzy as entire solar systems are crushed, and time is running out as Avery must face one question above all others - What do you do when stars die?

This is very early in the works and I have not yet fleshed out the characters or plot fully. This will probably be a side project to The DELTA Archives, and I’ll work on it a bit slower than usual. I also plan to make this a duology. But what I can tell you is that there will be a huge amount of world-building, a non-binary protag, and lots of found-family feels! 

Hi! I’m trying to start a new story and I was wondering how would you build a new character from scratch? Like how would you go about creating them?

There are many different ways a character is conceived. You’ll need one of these things to start with:

name—you heard one that sounded cool to you, either the meaning, the pronunciation, or the ideas it brings to mind when you hear it. 

look—you saw or imagined a character with certain physical features or garb, someone new and interesting that you want to know more about.

profession—you’re interested in exploring a certain occupation within a fictional setting and what kind of things might happen during the work day.

lifestyle—this can include profession, but it’s more about who they are (or who they pretend to be) at all hours of the day/night.

archetype—you want to explore a character who is the sidekick, villain, mentor, or some other archetype within a story.

From there you shape them into a three-dimensional person with these aspects (which in themselves can inspire a new character):

family/friends—the people who raised, supported, and cared for them (or didn’t) at different points in their lives and thus affected their personality.

culture—the lifestyle of the community they identify with which can include shared customs, traditions, beliefs, foods, entertainment, etc.

skills—stuff they’re good at, but also stuff they’re bad at because both are important for you to know.

backstory—the combination of big experiences that shaped them permanently and that they might think about on a regular basis; a loved one dying, a successful career, a big mistake, and/or a long-term illness.

experiences—individual events that shaped who they are now, but aren’t really a big part of their life story; that time they had their first kiss, played their first sport, encountered a wild animal, and/or learned to cook their own meal.

traits—inherent aspects of their personality that can be their strengths and weaknesses depending on how they improve on or neglect them; they are very kind and compassionate, but easy to take advantage of and are sometimes overly fussy.

beliefs—their driving force, their purpose in life, the reason they get up in the morning and continue to exist.

personality—the combination of skills, beliefs, and cultural norms that make them an individual based on their experiences and upbringing, as well as inherent traits.

Now, the reader does not want to know all this stuff on the first page. In fact, the reader might not need to know much of it at all. You do, and what you include in your story should be primarily stuff the reader needs to know with just a sprinkling of other character information. Some books might give the MC’s entire biography in the first chapter, but even Charles Dickens knew to save the best details for later.

These bullet points work for all characters, not just your main protagonist(s). A writer doesn’t need to know every detail about every side character, but it helps to think of each one as a whole person. Makes the writing feel more authentic.

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