[BloodStreak]

Hello everyone.

I'm writing a story at the moment which is about a viral outbreak (shall say no more).

However, I need tips in how to keep novels long.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[James Carmack]

You could, you know, actually have stuff happen. That's always nice.

It's that or overlong dialog over coffee which may or may not actually be related to the plot.

[KatG]

LOL, most people around here have the opposite problem.

First off, it's possible that you are writing a novella, not a novel. Or possibly a graphic novel. Second, unless you are on your second draft of the work and revising, length is not the big issue to worry about. Third, go look at authors whose writing you like and try to look at the text to figure out how they made theirs long. It will give you ideas about all sorts of stuff.

[BrightStar]

Planning always helps. Maybe think about coming up with some sort of outline of what you want to happen. You don't have to keep with it, but it's a good place to start and certainly can be very effective at generating ideas.

What I did once, when I got stuck with my story was to write about a particular event then list at least three things that could go "wrong" so that the conflict is heightened.

Here is a very, very simple example

Event: Paul goes to buy milk from the store.
Complication 1: Paul gets caught in a rainstorm.
Complication 2: Paul suspects that someone is following him.
Complication 3: Paul discovers that he has lost his wallet.
Complication 4: Paul meets an old enemy at the store.

In actuality, you could probably use *all* of those complications to make the simple event of Paul going to the store into something more interesting.

What you do next, is take each complication and list more complications. For example:

Event: Paul gets caught in the rainstorm.
Complication 1: Paul is soaked and doesn't buy any milk because he goes home instead.

Most readers like conflict. Lots and lots of conflict. So keep that in mind.

[Sonja Ravenscroft]

I've run into this problem myself, about having a length for a novel. I guess you have to decide do you have enough material to have a full length novel(I'm assuming you are aiming for something at least 3-400 pages?)

A lot of times, as an earlier poster said, you might find yourself writing a Novella or Short Story, rather than a full out novel. Having a certain amount of characters helps, as you can jump from one to another with subplots.

Do you have an outline of how it's going to go and end(or are you a writer like myself who lets the characters tell the story, and you don't know where it's going to go until you get there?)

I would just write the story as it comes to mind, and don't mind if it isn't that long, and don't worry about what fits where. Just write a first draft. Then read it and you'll quickly find yourself where you can expand the story(and then you run into the problem of not knowing when to stop:rolleyes:))

That's my .000000002 :)

[James Carmack]

Whatever you do, don't pad just to puff up your wordcount. There's a certain length that's right for any given story. You can worry about marketing it later. In the writing phase, focus on the writing.

Nothing wrong with a shorter sort of story. Takes all types, you know.

[BloodStreak]

I am thankful for your suggestions. I hope I can make use of them.:D