Adding an extension...

I've been trying to flesh out my novel a wee bit more for this latest revision. The feedback has been great, the revisions have been well received and there is much love for the novel the way it is, and I am grateful to have had such incredible guidance to get it this far. But, I have learned that at 263 pages it is a bit on the uncomfortable side of the desired 250-300 page length. It could be a bit longer. It would be ideal if it was. Sigh.

I know it's true. I get it. It's not like I think that there is anything missing from the book, I don't, but people's expectations and they way that a book gets marketed demands a slightly longer novel. It reminds me of when movies used to be 90 minutes. Nobody thought anything of it. Then movies became 120 minutes, or even 140 minutes, and suddenly that 90 minute movie seemed a little short, and movie goers were wondering if they were getting their money's worth. It's kinda the same thing with books.

The tricky part is finding those areas where I can breath more life into the story, without making it seem like filler. Expanding those areas that may have been a passing mention in backstory and giving them their own spotlight. Maybe I shouldn't just write..."we had a big fight", maybe I should write the fight. The fact that I need to do this now, when I have been doing the exact opposite in screenwriting, is challenging too.

And so all last week, I have been rereading and looking for those places where I could seamlessly add. It's kind of like building a house and then realizing you need one more room, but you don't want anyone to notice the extension. It is challenging. But it is possible. And most of all, it's necessary.

Back to the drawing board!!