Fat Writers and Skinny Writers

Don't let the title fool you.

This is not about the physical attributes of a writer.  It is about the physical attributes of your manuscript.

Fat writers are writers who pour their heart onto the page and end up with page after page after page and when editing have to cut all the fluff that people usually skip when reading a book.

Skinny writers are writers who pour their heart onto the page and end up with what would seem like a glorified outline to those fat writers out there. When they edit, they add flesh to their manuscript.

I'm one of those skinny writers. This trait comes in handy when I'm writing Picture Books, but is not such a good trait when trying to write longer manuscripts.

But even when writing Picture Books you have to make sure every word is perfect. Every noun, verb and adjective is just the right one. The one that will jump out at the reader and make them love your story.

I am getting better with my longer manuscripts.

When writing and re-writing your words, some things you need to do are:

Make a character sheet. List all your characters - write down what they look like and what type of person they are. This is very helpful and will keep them from having black stubble on their face on one page and blonde hair on another.

Add Description. When I go back and reread, I find skinny places where  I need more description. Not in picture books, mind you, but Middle Grades. Make that scarey place in the woods where kids are told not to go, really scarey. Tell about the tall trees, boulders big as Volkswagens, dark shadows moving across the ground and strange howling in the tree tops. And even add a tall tale passed down through the generations that makes it a place where you don't want to visit.

Write about the minor characters. Give them quirky traits and names to add a little interest and humor to the story. I found that in my latest WIP I had not mentioned anything about the teachers. I think they deserved at least a mention, so I gave them interesting names and a description or two to add some interest. Kids like to read about a quirky or interesting teacher.

Give your main characters certain quirks or habits. This can add to the story in more places than one. These traits can be scattered throughout your story, adding words (calories) to your manuscript and making it more interesting, too.

But, don't add words just for the sake of adding words. Add words to make it more interesting and a better story.

My current Middle Grade WIP is almost finished. I have fattened it up and it is over 20,000 words. I have met my goal and made it more interesting in the process.

This picture book writer is learning.

How do you add 'fat' to your manuscript?

Posted by Janet F. Smart on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch

Details

Can't never could do anything. I've used that word a lot, but we need to erase it from our vocabulary.

I've said before that I couldn't write long books. I just can't write that many words. That is why I am best at writing picture books.

Today I was going through one of my piles of books in the doorway between our family and  living room. I pulled out one on writing and decided to glance through it once again. I came upon this chapter titled, Details Are What Make a Book Memorable.

It states that the filling in of details can be the difference in selling a book and one that won't catch the editor's eyes. You can overdo it, but more folks leave out the details than overwrite them.

I fit into that category. But, I admit I have read a few books where they go overboard on the descriptions, especially when they start describing the features of people, it just makes me roll my eyes and grin.

They gave examples in the book of good descriptive paragraphs. I decided to take can't out of my vocabulary and pull out my manuscript that I am editing for the umpteenth time and see what I could do with it. This manuscript is one that I am currently calling a novella, it is just shy of 30,000 words, which is a huge accomplishment for me. I am the one that loves to write picture books with less than 500 words.

It's working. After going through two of the chapters, I have added almost 500 words (that is the size of an entire picture book)! I know that is a drop in the bucket, but at least I am adding and I am making it more descriptive.

Give it a try. Check your manuscript for generic words and bland scenery and ordinary people. Use words to paint a picture in the minds of your readers and use as many senses as possible in your writing.


And most of all, start your manuscript with a hook! They have to be pulled into your story in order to read those wonderful descriptive paragraphs you have created. Make your first sentences unique. More on that in another post.