Author’s Note: This article was originally published on August 4th, 2022 as part of a blog series about a novel I was ghostwriting for a client without the use of AI (though I have since used AI to generate some of the images). If you haven’t read the introduction yet, you can find it here.
Day 25
Threads
Like a tapestry, a good story — a long one, anyway — is composed of numerous threads woven together. These threads are the plot and subplots that carry the story forward.
Thinking in terms of threads helps me remember to keep up with each story point. If a scene ends with a villain being dragged away in chains, vowing he’ll get revenge on the heroes, he’d better get his revenge at some point — or at least try. If I simply forget he ever made the threat, then I have failed to deliver on an implicit promise.
Often this forgetfulness of mine causes the story to stall, and I’m left wondering why it suddenly feels aimless. If I look back, however, there’s a good chance I will spot a loose strand, and then I can work it back into the tapestry.
If your story loses momentum and you don’t know why, take a moment to look back over the plot and all the subplots you have developed, and see if you haven’t forgotten one. It just might show you what’s missing.
Daily Word Count: 2505
Total Word Count: 50602
Day 26
Almost at the finish line. I just need to keep pushing myself and stay disciplined, and I’ll see this project through to the end.
Daily Word Count: 2516
Total Word Count: 53118
Day 27
Switching Gears
I changed my approach today, as the word count demonstrates. Instead of focusing entirely on adding 2,500 words (still possible, but increasingly difficult), I decided to go back to the beginning of the book and revise, filling in blank spaces and developing the story more as I reread it.
Why, you ask, would I switch gears when I am within seven thousand words of my goal? As much as it might look like I’m slowing to a crawl just when I’ve reached the last leg of the journey, the truth is I am simply swapping quantity for quality. The more I refine the early chapters of the book, the more clarity I will have with which to write and revise the later ones.
The climactic scene, for instance, needs to incorporate everything that came before it — the challenges the protagonist faced, the lessons the protagonist learned. If I only have a vague idea how those events affected the protagonist early on in the story, however, it will be much more difficult to write the climax.
Why, then, force myself to write thousands of words I will probably throw out later, when instead I can come up with the answers I need by revising the preceding chapters?
Daily Word Count: 1053
Total Word Count: 54171
Day 28
More editing today.
This is where the research really comes in. As I take the time to flesh out the details (something I didn’t allow myself the time to do earlier on, because I was focused on hitting my word count goals), the story comes to life in new ways. It feels fresh and exciting again, and I’m making connections I didn’t make before.
Maybe, just maybe, this story will turn out alright in the end.
Daily Word Count: 1225
Total Word Count: 55396
Day 29
Bringing the Action to Life
As I rewrite, I come across places where, in my impatience, I jumped from one story beat to the next too abruptly. Red pulls a gun, and the next moment Cal is wrestling it from his hands without any emotional reaction between the two, or any buildup. It’s just one moment after the next, and then it’s over.
This is how you waste good action. It happens so quickly that the reader isn’t emotionally ready for it, which makes the action feel pointless. It’s just action.
Not every scene will have the emotional weight of the shower scene in Psycho, but each one should have some gravitas. If Red is going to pull a gun, I want to see him putting his hand close to the waistband of his jeans, his fingers shifting nervously. I want to see him licking his lips, shifting his weight from foot to foot, preparing himself for the moment.
And I want to see Cal’s surprise — assuming he is surprised — and fear. I want to feel the moment come alive, even if it happens within the span of a few seconds.
Otherwise, it will be over before I even realize what happened.
Daily Word Count: 1016
Total Word Count: 56412
Day 30
Making Characters Shine
There is nothing quite like frenetic writing to help you discover your shortcomings as a writer.
One mistake I frequently make is creating tertiary characters — by which I mean characters who enter a given scene for a specific purpose, then never appear in the story again — who carry the plot forward but are thoroughly unremarkable. Their body language comes down to a shrug here and there, furrowed eyebrows, a confused look in the eyes, and other descriptors that are in no way particular to the character.
That’s because these characters are cardboard cutouts, props. These may work at the back of the stage, but if they have to move forward into the limelight, even if it’s only for a few moments, they had better be lifelike.
You may introduce a character solely to convey information through dialogue, but that shouldn’t be apparent to the reader. If your writing feels dull and unexciting, take a closer look at how well you have developed your tertiary characters. Their believability can make a huge difference in your story.
Daily Word Count: 1467
Total Word Count: 57879
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I thought there was a sixth part to this blogging series, but I seem to have lost it. It was published on a previous author website of mine, and I forgot to save it. I apologize for the mistake! I hope this series has nevertheless been enlightening and has given you some tips and encouragement for your own writing journey!
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