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There’s more to story than mechanics and plot and characters. What impression does your story make? How does it hit you? And have you conveyed that impression to readers?
If readers aren’t engaged by your story, maybe you’re holding them at a distance, using filtering phrases that keep them a step away from the action and emotion of a scene. Check out these common filtering phrases that keep readers at a distance.
The major characters in your fiction need goals to see them through the story you’ve dropped them into. Make sure you’ve given them goals sufficient for the adventure.
Writers often become so lost in their stories that they can’t look at them dispassionately. Remember to step back and away from your fiction so you can get a true picture of a story.
Chapter endings have at least two purposes—to look back at what’s already happened and look forward to what might happen. Both characters and readers benefit from the dual purposes of chapter endings.
Writers can’t write novels of any length, not if they want to be published traditionally. Word count is important, especially for the first-time novelist.