I got copies of my cowboy romance paperbacks the other day in the mail. They were skinnier than I expected, but then again they mostly run about 30K words. In comparison, the first book ran 50K. A Cowboy for Christmas (ACFC) had been a NaNoWriMo project.
One of the big challenges of doing NaNoWriMo is pacing a book so that you can ultimately cross the 50K finish line. I have, in the past, literally typed the end soon after 50,000, with maybe a few hours to spare.
Apart from the benefit of finishing NaNoWriMo, writing a 50K word book also can earn more page reads through Kindle Unlimited, gives your reader more value for their purchase, and can give your plot more depth.
As I have participated in several NaNoWriMos over the years, here are some tricks I have discovered that can help consistently produce longer 50K word books:
1.Weave in several sub-plots. Ask yourself story questions along the way. Once that thread is answered, come up with more questions. One of my reviewers helpfully summed up my story questions: Will Tammy get the country superstar? Will Gabe win his election? Will Stella become a teacher?
2.Make your characters intriguing and act with depth by giving them secrets. They could be secrets you already know from the outset, or, surprise yourself along with your readers. This will give them an air of mystery and will keep your reader curiosity burning.
3.Trust in your characters. If they diverge from the storyline, follow them and record what they say and do. You do not have to keep it for your final draft, but the words will get you closer to 50K and give you insight into a character. I have often done this, unsure if the tangent will be useful. Happily, I usually like the scene well enough I keep it.
4.When the middle is sagging, introduce dynamic characters. In ACFC, halfway through I brought in people from the heroine’s past. Not only did she have to deal with her past, but the new characters threw a wedge in the romance.
5.Take your time to savor and enjoy scenes. Describe what the characters are experiencing in detail. (But don’t make it so you are boring the reader to tears with mundane details.)
6.Have your character interact with their family members in a high-emotion event. Not only will this give you insight into your characters and their families, but readers absolutely enjoy seeing these relationships at play. You could even try having families who are opposite of each other meet.
7.If you reach the end of your draft and you still have more words to go, go back to earlier chapters and flesh out scenes.
8.Be sure to add conflict whenever you can. When my manuscript lags and I am like, “This scene is boring and is begging to end,” I usually discover that everyone is acting too nice. (True story: when I first met my husband I thought he was too “nice” and clean-cut. I wasn’t too interested in him. A few months, scruff, and longer hair later, I agreed to go on a date with him. So it works for relationships too!)
9. Have your character visit a different setting and record their reaction and how they are seeing the place for the first time.
Those are some things that have helped me bump up the wordcount to 50K. Do you have any other suggestions?
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