I'm writing a short story right now. Well, I've written a bunch, but I'm not proud of many of them, as they all seem to move too fast. Is there anything I could do that could slow down my plot a bit? It's a love story, if that helps at all.
2007-12-28 06:41:27 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
My tip, try adding more detail (but not too much!) Instead of saying "She stepped into the house. She shut the door behind her and moved about." try "She crept into the tall, spacious mansion. Automatically shutting the door, she slowly went to explore, her long legs moving in steady pace." Also, add thoughts and feelings of your character, instead of writing what they just said. If you focus on detail, not only are you painting a picture in someone's mind, but you're taking a little more time to write the story, thus making it a little longer and it not moving so quickly.
2007-12-28 06:51:28 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Helps to have the character stop, sit on a convenient park bench, munch on a cold sandwich she has in her pocket somewhere (don't they always have a sandwich stashed?), and reflect on the relationship and maybe draw in a cross story from her thoughts. When she's slowed stuff down sufficiently, you can startle her back to reality with a good mugging or perhaps a stray dog.
2007-12-28 06:45:35 · answer #2 · answered by Stuart 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mary, if it moves too fast you may be neglecting the inner workings of your point-of-view character. Consider that the first time Mary sees John with his shirt unbuttoned, she thinks a whole lot more than "Nice abs."
Oh, she thinks that, too. She might also notice what shows in detail, liken it to other guys' bodies, fret whether she's fit and toned enough, wonder if he's leaving his shirt open on purpose, consider whether he expects her to fall into bed at the mere sight of a six-pack, and get angry at the implication of what he must think of her, that she's so shallow and so sexually easy.
The mere failure to button a shirt immediately can take pages and pages, and give your reader a character with whom they can identify.
2007-12-28 06:47:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
It feels as though it takes a sturdy bit longer than 2 minutes - ten, possibly? 2 minutes isn't long sufficient for somebody to no longer have a pulse so you might verify they are lifeless. however the p.c.. of this excerpt is great. i could in all risk examine greater of it. chuffed New 365 days to you, too!
2016-10-02 11:59:48 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I suffer from the same thing!!! After you write your story, go back over it and add more in between to make it longer.
Good luck!
2007-12-28 06:58:13 · answer #5 · answered by Neci M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Slow down!
2007-12-28 06:50:08 · answer #6 · answered by shygirl93 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋