What do you do if your draft is “complete” but you feel that it’s not long enough?
We often hear about drafts that are too wordy—pushing the boundaries of even the chunkiest fantasy word counts. But it’s possible to wrap up a draft and feel the opposite: that it’s too short.
First, let’s cover the phrase “too short” and what that means. For some it may mean that the draft falls short of the writer’s desired word count or of the “industry standard” word count for their genre. (Note: If you wish to pursue traditional publishing, you are going to want to pay greater attention to standard word counts for your genre than if you plan to self-publish.)
For others, “too short” may mean that there is a beginning, middle, and end but something still feels bare or lacking. This feeling could come from their own gut or from feedback given by alpha and beta readers.
One of the things I love about completing a developmental edit is that I get to open up my mind and ask all sorts of questions. I look at it like a puzzle: are the pieces in the right places? Are we missing any? What would better center us in this world? In the action? In this regard, a manuscript that is too short can be a lot of fun to work with. As opposed to having to consider chunky cuts, writers are allowed to embrace their creativity and curiosity to enhance their story.
So what do you do?
First you need to know what the issue is.
1. The story is solid but the word count is lower than you would like.
If you believe your writing is tight and that the arc of the story is clear and strong, but the word count just isn’t where you want it to be, you have a couple of options.
First, consider marketing the book as a novella. This is a great option if you believe that adding anything more would feel as if you’re “padding” the writing. (We all did it in school, let’s not lie, but none of us want our novels full of fluff and filler.) Novellas can be sold as standalone books or are sometimes put together in a set, either with another novella or short stories.
Alternatively, if you believe the book is meant to be a full-length novel, then you’ll need to further develop the story. Note that this is not padding—padding a story is adding fluff just to expand the word count. Said fluff doesn’t add to the story or to your characters. On the other hand, developing the story means looking for areas where additional scenes (or breaking individual scenes into a sequence of scenes), greater character development, or additional worldbuilding can truly enrich the story and enhance your readers’ experience. If you feel the main plot is where you want it to be, are there subplots that you could develop into something stronger?
Famous authors have done this for ages, developing shorter works into novels. For example, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf started out as a short story, “Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street.” Anne McCaffrey’s The Rowan expanded from the short story “Lady in the Tower.”
2. The word count is low because something is missing or lacking.
More often than not, when a client comes to me with a manuscript that is shorter than they would like, the issue is actually underwriting. Underwriting results in a story that is too short because significant things have been left out (descriptions, internal monologue, backstory, character development, etc.).
In my experience, this happens (usually) for a couple of reasons:
- Less experienced writers may still be building their skills and learning how to properly align the story they’ve imagined with what’s on the page. That is: they may have a clear idea of what’s happening in their mind, but they haven’t provided the details a reader would need to see it as clearly.
- Some writers have such a fear of “info dumping” or giving too much exposition that they overcorrect and wind up with something that feels too bare.
Whatever the reason, underwriting is a great opportunity to approach your story from a place of curiosity. Drafts that have been underwritten can be a lot of fun to work with because it allows the writer (or their editor) to dive deeper into the story and characters.
I do recommend time away from a draft as this can help you better understand it from a reader’s perspective. You may be less “in” the scene or “in” a character’s mind after time away, allowing you to see where thoughts, emotions, descriptions, and so on aren’t as clear as you would like them to be.
Below are a few things to ask yourself as you approach revision OR—if you are not sure you can identify problem areas on your own—to ask beta readers to consider when providing feedback. (A good developmental editor will identify issues like this and bring up possible solutions as well.)
Does the reader:
- Understand where (and when) they are within each scene?
- Have strong insight into character thoughts, emotions, reactions, motivations, etc.? (Not just initially but also as they evolve.)
- Understand unique world elements? (Think of magic systems, technology, and so on that are unique to your story. Are these explained enough that a reader can follow along?)
- Have an opportunity to process action scenes and their effects/consequences? (See my post on Scene & Sequel.)
- Know how characters got from point A to point B? (This doesn’t necessarily mean in terms of location: if your characters decided to take action, was this clear to the reader or did we just jump into it without any planning/thought?)
- Get a fulfilling resolution to the plot or is it wrapped up too quickly?
These are very broad questions as opposed to the more specific ones that I would provide on a manuscript, but keeping them in mind as you revise may help you to approach your work as someone unfamiliar with your story, characters, and world might. Once you can identify those areas that need to be fleshed out, you can get down to the fun part: writing it.
Need help identifying issues within your story?
I provide Developmental Editing and Skilled Beta Reading for authors looking for detailed feedback on their completed manuscripts. For writers looking to target specific issues and/or build their skills, I also offer one-on-one workshopping.