(LOGO)
Hellooo, everybody! It's dark in here. So here’s the deal guys. It's exactly 5:59am
right now. And no, I didn't wake up early, I just haven't gone to sleep yet. I'm nocturnal,
this is normal. I've been really busy, and this is literally the only time I've had available to
vlog. So it was either dark vlog, or no vlog. Anywho, today I'm addressing one of your most
popular questions and that is: How the hell do I beef up the word count on my novel? In other
words, this video’s for all you underwriters out there. Most writers tend to fit into one
of two categories: overwriters and underwriters. Overwriters are people who get really detailed
and wordy on their first draft. Then when they move on to the second draft, they got to focus
on trimming that shit down. Underwriters are people with the exact opposite behavior. Their
first draft is completely bare bones. And then when they move on to the second draft,
they gotta work on adding more content. For overwriters, writing the first draft tends to
be a slow process. But the revision and editing phases are a lot easier for overwriters than
underwriters, because their main function is to hit the delete button. Delete, delete. Simple,
not hard. On the flip side, underwriters tend to finish their first draft really quickly,
but the second draft, and the third draft, and the editing phase, take a really long time. You gotta
create entirely new content, and that is time consuming. So to all you underwriters out there,
I'm here to give you some tips on adding meaningful content to your bare bones
manuscript. I myself am not an underwriter. But back when I used to critique manuscripts, I read
a lot of stories written by underwriters. So all of what I'm about to recommend is based on the
countless underwritten manuscripts I've read, and what they were typically lacking. But before I get
into these tips as an underwriter, you absolutely have to stop and ask yourself: do I even need to
lengthen my novel? Not all stories require 100,000 words, it's very possible that your story isn't a
novel. Maybe it's a novella. Maybe it's a short story. Don't feel like you HAVE to beef it up,
just to meet a page requirement that maybe doesn't fit your story. Now, if you look through your
manuscript and decide, ‘No really it's gotta be longer.’ I'm going to ask that you please resist
the urge to add filler content. Filler content are scenes that writers throw into their stories,
for no reason whatsoever. They don't benefit a plot, they don't benefit any of the subplots,
they're just kind of there. Don't do that. No one wants to read that shit. But you can do any of
the five things I'm about to list. Number One (1): Show don't tell. You may have heard this one once
or twice, or a million fucking times. But it's usually better to show the reader what's going on,
as opposed to telling them what's going on. Showing means adding specific detail to a scene
that has sort of a transporting quality. You make your reader feel like they're there in the moment
with the characters. Instead of just saying that the story takes place during the summer,
you describe the burning rays of the sun beating down on your character's back. Instead of just
saying that your character’s angry, you describe how they're clenching their jaw,
and they're balling their hands into white knuckle fits. These sort of descriptions not only add bulk
to your writing, but it'll also enhance the reader's experience. You want the reader to
feel physically and emotionally connected to your writing, and showing as opposed to telling is the
way to do it, while also increasing your word count. Number Two (2): Set the scene. One of
the biggest problems I noticed when critiquing underwritten manuscripts was that I never knew
where the characters were. In my mind, I'm seeing character A, and character B, and they're just
floating in space. Set the scene, let your readers know where your characters are, and what they're
doing. Now I know a lot of people hate setting the scene, I hate setting the scene. But you don't
have to describe every single leaf on every single tree. If your characters are in a castle, you can
describe the overall architecture, the artwork, the ambience. You don't gotta list the square
footage. Just adding these basic descriptions will not only help the reader visualize the
moment, it'll also add pages to that skimpy manuscript of yours. And while you're at it,
check to see if you're lacking other descriptions, like physical descriptions. Remember, the reader
isn't in your brain. You may be able to visualize the setting and the characters, but that's because
you created them. Go through your manuscript with a critical eye and look for scenes that
could possibly use a bit more description. Because the audience is reading your book, not your mind.
Number Three (3): Attach bodies to voices. Sometimes underwriters go to write dialogue,
and that's it. They just write dialogue. “Hi,” he said. “How are you?” she said. Communication is
so much more than words coming out of your mouth. Communication is body language, eye contact, tone
of voice. All of these things matter at some point in a conversation. If you write a hefty stream
of dialogue, and all you do is include dialogue tags, like ‘he said’ and ‘she said,’ it's gonna
read like this: “What a lovely home.” “Thanks, I wasn't expecting guests.” “I couldn't tell, this
place is absolutely charming.” That was boring and weird. It all sounds like empty words, like
there aren't actual people attached to the voices. But if you include body language or mannerisms,
even the simplest conversations suddenly have a lot more meaning. (Sarcastically) “What a
lovely home.” (Nervously) “Thanks. I wasn't expecting guests.” (Sarcastically) “I couldn’t tell.
This place is absolutely charming.” By adding a few facial expressions and hand gestures,
the conversation went from basic and boring, to awkward and bitchy. Now I'm not saying you need
to include mannerism and tone of voice for every single piece of dialogue, but mention it when it's
relevant. This is gonna make your dialogue a lot more interesting, and you guessed it,
up your word count. Number Four (4): Subplots. Most really long stories have a lot of shit going
on. So if your book is on the skimpy side, chances are you're lacking in the subplot category. Check
your outline to see if subplots work into the equation. And if you already have subplots,
check to make sure they're well developed. Just because it's not your primary plot,
doesn't mean you can neglect it. If you've got a romantic subplot, check to make sure it's not an
insta romance, because a lot of readers hate that shit. Give your subplots depth and weight, because
a half baked subplot is only going to take away from your audience's overall reading experience.
How many people have read a book and said, “I would have loved it, if the romantic subplot
wasn't so rushed.” Or, “I would have liked it. But the subplot between the two best friends was just
left hanging.” Develop your subplots. It will make your readers happy, and it will make your book
longer. And Number Five (5): Deepen your plot. I've read a lot of manuscripts that essentially
felt unfinished. You meet the main character, she's given a bad guy to defeat, she defeats him,
then end. That’s it? What about all the stuff in the middle? The build up, the rising action,
the breaking point? You can't just start with point A and then automatically jump
to point Z. There's a lot of other letters in the middle. If you're an underwriter, take a look at
your manuscript and ask yourself, does your plot progress too quickly? Was the protagonist’s goal
way too easy to achieve? It's possible that you missed a lot of basic structural events. And if
that's the case, you probably gotta go back to the drawing board and educate yourself on plotting and
structure. This may lead to a bunch of rewrites, but rewriting an unfinished novel is a lot better
than releasing an unfinished novel. And did I mention it'll add bulk to your novel? Cuz that's
literally the entire point of this video. Anywho those are my tips for beefing up your manuscript,
that I delivered to you while I watched the sunrise. I would say it was a beautiful moment,
but this is a pretty common occurrence for me. If you're an underwriter, these five tips can help
take your manuscript from this big, to this big. All right. But please before you make any changes,
double check to see if your book even needs to be longer. Size doesn't matter, okay? It's what you
do with your story that counts. With that said, don't forget to subscribe to my channel. I post
new videos on Wednesdays. Eve: The Awakening is still available in ebook and paperback on
Amazon right now. You can also order a signed copy, all the links are listed below. And if
you have any questions or if there's something you'd like me to talk about in my next video,
be sure to tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!
Woah, a bird! Come back. Be my friend.