Hellooo, everybody! NaNoWriMo is officially upon us, which is basically a month where everyone
gets together to write their books. “But Jennaaa, don't writers write most months out of the year?”
I know, I don't get it either. But if you're participating in NaNoWriMo, you may be eager
to get words on the page, and you may not know if your story is packing the punch it needs.
Even if you're not into NaNoWriMo, there are tons of writers out there who consider themselves
underwriters, which are basically writers who tell their stories in bare bones. They don't
give enough plot, characterization, or detail and often their stories feel undeveloped and lacking.
If that's your issue, fear or not, I am dishing out my ten best tips for beefing up your word
count. Remember, the goal here isn't to simply add more words to the page if that was the case, you
could simply eliminate all contractions. Please don't do that, I beg you. The goal is to add
meaningful content, to improve a story that doesn't have any meat or depth. And of course,
a byproduct of this will be more words on the page. So for all you NaNoers, this video’s for
you. This is a topic I covered a years ago, but at the time I only had a few tips, now I have way
more, so it felt worth covering again. Points three and seven are my favorite. I think they
make the biggest difference in the quality of your novel. And in true cyborg fashion, I saved
the hardest pill to swallow for last. Let's get into it.
(The sound of a pen scratching. LOGO.)
Before we get started I wanted to say thank you so much to NovelPad for sponsoring today's video.
I've been super candid in the past about how I have tried multiple novel writing softwares
and I hated all of them. Except for NovelPad. NovelPad is a straightforward easy to use software
specifically for novelists. Every feature is designed to help you remember what you
were doing as quickly as possible, and keep you one click away from writing at all times.
NovelPad also lets you track your work from as many angles as possible. You can track it based
on a specific character, based on chapters, you can track it based on your plot, subplots, or even
settings. One of the things I love most about NovelPad is they're constantly adding new features
based specifically on user feedback. They recently added the thirty second backup system that allows
you to go back and forth between any safe point in your novel. They also have a fantastic goals
and analytics feature. It automatically adapts to your progress, allows you to specify sprints
and vacations, and it gives you live updates on your writing which is especially vital if you are
embarking on NaNoWriMo. But I'm particularly fond of the comparison feature. You can now compare
any two revisions of scenes and essentially pick a winner which is so helpful for anyone who is stuck
between rewrites. That happens to me, all the time. If you're interested in trying out NovelPad
I am a huge fan and even better, in honor of NaNoWriMo throughout the entire month of November,
NovelPad will be free to use! That means you have the whole rest of the month to try out NovelPad
for free! $0, I've got the link listed below. Be sure to check it out. Don't forget to subscribe
to my channel. I post new videos on Wednesdays. And if you wanna be alerted as SOON as I upload,
ring that bell. You totally should, you gotta be alerted when I upload. I mean, hello,
you just gotta. The Savior's Champion and The Savior’s Sister are my number one best selling
dark fantasy romance adventures, and they are available all over the place. They're available in
paperback, hardback, ebook and audiobook. Pick up a copy today. I've got ‘em linked below. And now
I'm diving into my ten best tips for increasing your word count in a way that will both add words
to the page and also enhance the quality of your novel. Number One (1): Show don't tell. More often
than not, this is the main issue underwriters have. They are telling everything, and showing
absolutely nothing. Say a character is going to the store and they're in a really bad mood. If you
wanted to tell the reader this, you could simply say: he went to the store, he was in a bad mood.
If you wanted to show the reader this, you could instead say: the rickety shop door flung open and
he trudged through, grumbling under his breath as the bell jingled behind him. The first option,
the tell, is short and to the point. Which is fine in certain situations, for example, transitions.
But the second option, the show, is far more dynamic. So instead of simply telling the reader
‘they were best friends’ show them behaving as best friends. Instead of telling the reader ‘she
was beautiful’ describe what makes her beautiful. If a moment matters to the story, and many do,
you want to show it. You want to evoke emotions and create visuals for the reader. And as a
byproduct of this, you will be adding more words to your page. Number Two (2): Structure. A lot of
novels feel too short, because they are literally too short. They don't hit all the points of a
standard plot structure, because a lot of writers don't know shit about structure. How do you not
know shit about structure? At a bare minimum all plots have an inciting incident, rising action,
climax, falling action and resolution. There's a good chance your book is too short because you've
missed one of the pivotal parts of storytelling. Maybe you go straight from the inciting incident
to the climax with zero rising action. And of course, most structures are far more in depth
than the one I listed before. If you want more information on how to structure a novel I have
some videos linked below. But go through your story and make sure you have covered every key
plot point necessary for a novel. If not, it's time to go back to the drawing board. Number
Three (3): Character profiles. One of the most aggravating parts of reading, is slogging through
a story with one dimensional characters. Many people get into stories because of the characters.
They want personality and depth. They want people they can root for and relate to. What are your
characters strengths and weaknesses? What are their goals? What are their insecurities? You need
a well rounded view of them in order to write them in a believable manner. And the better you know
your character, the more content you can provide, which means more words. Do your due diligence and
get to know the voice you're writing through. Otherwise your characters are going to feel
really flat. On a related note, Number Four (4): Descriptions. It's really really annoying to read
a book without descriptions. Some Descriptions aren't necessary. I don't need to know how many
buttons are on your character’s shirt. I don't need to know the exact square footage of their
house. But for the love of God, can you at least describe what the character looks like? At a bare
minimum, we need their general body type, their hair color, their eye color, and their skin color.
Describe to me what the character looks like or else I can't visualize them. Similarly describe
to me what the setting looks like or else I can't visualize that either. “But Jennaaa,
I want readers to use their imagination.” If they wanted to completely invent their own characters
and world. they can write their own fucking book. Do your damn job and describe what you created.
You don't gotta get into minute detail, just give them enough information so they can follow along,
ya lazy piece of shit. Number Five (5): Setting the scene. I hesitate to say this because world
builders disease is a real problem that claims the lives of thousands of hopeful writers each day.
But it must be said. If you're writing a book that takes place in a different world or different era,
then world building is a necessary facet that will help ground the readers in the story and
it'll help boost your word count. But by a world building, I specifically mean as it pertains to
setting the scene. Your characters have entered a new location that readers are unfamiliar with,
it's time to describe this location so you can ground your readers in the scene. This is a vital
part of world building without delving into info dumping. You're providing information that helps
with the progression of the story, not jerking yourself off for being the creative genius you
are. We get it, you're sad and alone. When setting the scene, you're showing the readers where the
character is, for example, a dense, muggy forest. When they're there, for example, a misty winter
morning. How the character is feeling, maybe tired, groggy and afraid. And why this matters,
maybe the character has been hunting for a beast for weeks and still hasn't found it.
This is a great way to increase your word count without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary
nonsense. Number Six (6): Subplots. Subplots, add layers to a story that help make the characters,
particularly in their relationships, more realistic. This is because subplots often revolve
around relationships. If you're writing a sci-fi adventure, maybe you have a romantic subplot,
maybe you have a sibling rivalry subplot. So ask yourself, are there character dynamics you
could explore? Are there conflicts and stakes that haven't yet been brought to the surface?
These are great opportunities to include subplots, and thus add words to your book. Now
it's important to consider that subplots should have a link to the main plot. For example, if your
book is about a lost princess, fighting to reclaim her crown, maybe the romantic subplot involves a
mercenary that she hired to help her fight for her legacy. In this case, both the princess and the
mercenary are involved in the main plot, but now you can explore the romantic tension which adds
some layers and juiciness and awesomeness. Number Seven (7): Pacing. Typically novels that need
beefing up have a huge problem with pacing. Every scene reads as fast paced because they are raced
through without any detail. There are plenty of scenes that should be slower, particularly scenes
that are heavy in emotion like vulnerability, connection, grief, or romance. These are the
sorts of scenes where you need to go into heavier detail and if you're not sure where to start,
think about the five senses: sight, touch, taste, scent and sound. If they are relevant to the
scene, describe them in lush detail. Get inside your body, describe the racing of the character's
heartbeat right before their first kiss. Or the lump in their throat when they learn that their
father is in danger. This will go a long way in improving the quality of your novel and increasing
your word count. Number Eight (8): Clarity. Spoon feeding your readers is never the answer. However,
if multiple people tell you that something in your novel is glossed over, it's time to
elaborate. Whip out the words and make that shit clear. I know you think it makes perfect sense,
but keep in mind you wrote it, you know all the things. Unfortunately, this is a point that's
going to require feedback. But usually if a lot of people are telling you that something in your
novel doesn't make sense, it's probably because you didn't give it the proper wordage it needs.
Add some explanation and keep it moving. Which brings us to Number Nine (9): Solicit feedback.
A critique partner is a fellow writer who goes through your manuscript leaving
comments and edits within the document itself, based on your storytelling and writing. A beta
reader is someone who reads your manuscript from the reader's perspective and lets you know it's
entertainment value and what they liked and disliked. These people will tell you if your
work is lacking and they should tell you how. And if they don't tell you how, ask ‘em. It's that
simple. Look, writing a book is hard, especially considering the fact that it's a solitary task.
So if you can enlist friends to help you along the way, do it. Gather feedback, gather critiques,
and see where the common consensus lies. From that point forward, you will have a much better idea of
how to strengthen your novel. And Number Ten (10): Don't. As in, don't increase your word count. Hear
me out. If you are increasing your word count because the story is shallow, the characters
are one dimensional, the content is lacking and the quality is subpar—absolutely add words
to the page. But if you are increasing your word count simply to hit some arbitrary goal,
to win NaNoWriMo, or to consider yourself a real writer—back away from the keyboard.
There is no number of words you have to write to be a real writer. A writer is someone who writes,
period. Additionally, novels come in all links; you don't have to write 100,000 words for it to
be considered a serious novel. In fact, in many genres, that's way too long. A book qualifies as
a novel if it has at least 40,000 words. That's it. And if your story is great as is, but it's
less than 40,000 words, maybe it's a novella or a novelet. Again, if your book needs words,
add ‘em. Just be honest about whether or not that's the case. So that’s I got for you today.
A huge thank you to NovelPad for sponsoring today's video. And thank you so much for making
NovelPad free for the entire month of November in honor of NaNoWriMo. Click the link below,
check them out. They are an amazing platform, you will love ‘em. And right now they're free.
It doesn't get much better than that. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel. I post new videos on
Wednesdays. And if you want to be alerted as SOON as I upload, ring that bell. The Savior's Champion
and The Savior’s Sister are available in ebook, paperback, hardback and audiobook. Definitely
check them out right now. They're available on all major retailers. I got ‘em linked below.
And be sure to follow me on social media. I'm on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook and BookBub and of course
you can tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!
(Female Voice) Hey everyone! I'm Emma Tigan, narrator for The Savior’s Sister written by Jenna Moreci.
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