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I'm needing help in completing my stories. I've been writing for 10 years but my problem is that I can never finish it. I plan out the beginning, middle, and end, but that's not a lot of pages. I want to be able to finish my stories but how do I fill in the empty pages? My longest story so far consist of 20 pages. I know that's not a lot and I can't seem to figure out what else to add. I'm all about detail, but I'm afraid that I may use to much detail. I'm just not sure if I should keep writing on this story or just trash it. Help please!

@ashlsm3
I'm not an author & have no delusions about that - so really I can't be of help you.
But the title you gave your topic stunned me, IMO writing is not, and never should be, about "filling the pages". As an avid reader I can certainly tell you I would much rather read 20 pages of a good, well written story than 200 pages of filler produced because the author felt some need to fill some mythical page quota. BTW I'm a big fan of the short story format & I have read some superb stories that in some cases were only 2 or 3 pages long. For me it's all about quality not quantity!

You're talking about two different things which would take different answers.

I take it you don't mean "end" by "finish", because you state that you plan out the "beginning, middle, and end".

Once you've written the "end" after having written the beginning and middle, you've finished.

As Fran says, most readers are not interested in reading "filler". I don't know, but I have a feeling that editors suggest paring far more than they do adding.

A couple of exercises may be helpful or fun or useless:

A rule of thumb says 250 words per double spaced 8.5 x 10, so your 20 pages are about 5,000 words. I know you want it to be larger but do some editing - take one down to 4,000 words (16 pages). I suggest this first because it is indeed easier to take words out than to put them in.

Second exercise is to go through your work piece by piece, a sentence at a time. Question yourself about each one. Are you satisfied, what else might you want to know about the subject. What else might be interesting about the subject?

One of the best known opening sentences in a longish novel is very short - Call me Ishmael. Why? How'd you end up named Ishmael? After your grandfather? On your mother's side? He was a spree killer? In Mexico? He's still alive?

Plenty of questions presented in those three words.

heck, the opening might end up "Call me Ishmael or my grandfather will shoot you. My name is acually renaldo, but he has this weird hang-up about whaling stories."



Question all the sentences in the first paragraph, then look at the paragraph as a whole. What does it say/ Is that what you want to say? All you want to say? etc etc. What else about the topic of the paragraph might be interesting and informative? Question everything and answer the questions. put the answers in the text.

You maybe could get a few more pages. Now read it as a whole again. The question now is, do you like it better with the "extra" words? If you do, go back to the first exercise - are you keeping the new text or are you finding that all or most of that is the stuff you pare out? If you pare out all the new stuff, hey, you were finished before.

If you like the new stuff and are paring out old stuff, take the expanded version and do the questions and answers bity again. Eventually, you'll end up with evrything you could possibly want to know in there. Then, edit it down again. Maybe you end up with 50 pages, maybe 22 pages - it's a start.

The way I do it is by not over thinking the process. I first outline the plot, then I close my eyes and from there dream up my stories without too much critical thought. I later come back and revise, utilizing my voice for furthered effect.

Thank you everyone. I will definitely use your tips. I'm always needing advice and criticism from others when it comes to my stories.

I agree that there is no right or wrong length to a good story. I write out an entire timeline, starting with the beginning end and finish and then jumping to the fillers before I even start my book. I make sure each section of my timeline gets me to the next section before I begin writing. It's not a perfect solution but if you can dissect each section and figure out what you're end goal is, maybe you'll end up with more pages after more careful thought than just writing from front to end.

I understand exactly what you mean, I had a habit of getting started with a project and never finishing it. I started working nights and have to sleep during the day, I was having issues with my sleep getting interrupted so I purchased a few Binary beats to keep me asleep, 8 hours worth. I have different subjects and the difference in me is exciting. I start a quilt and finish it. I start a book and finish it in a record amount of time. look at the different subjects, I have seen a difference in my motivation, 6 months and I feel like I did when I was in my 20's. Best of all I finish what I start, that's exciting.

I look back and I lacked the self worth to really put my heart in to finishing something, looking at what I was doing to be compared to a seasoned professionals work. I'm learning that I just need to finish so I can do the next one better.

As for editing a book after you finish I would pay to have it done till you gain confidence. You put your heart in to a story and fix grammar, then send it out to be made better.

I hear you. I've been working on my first novel on and off for almost three years now. My beginning and ending are exactly as I wish them to be. The middle, the actual part that is to move the story forward, keeps evolving. The story is sitting there in my mind; but the little details often trip me up, and I sometimes find myself becoming overwhelmed. My characters are deeply personal; they're like dear, dear friends, and I want to do right by them. Hopefully this is what you're experiencing, and not that you want to simply "fill" the story with words and actions just to be done with it.

My suggestion would be to view any passion for what you're writing as a good thing. If you feel compelled to tell this particular story, please don't give up. However, if it's draining you and you can't see yourself feeling satisfied by finally getting it out, then move on. I think if you can't live with the idea that this story won't be told then it probably isn't worth getting hung up on. For me, even if nobody ever reads my novel when I've finally completed it, I feel compelled to get it out of my system.

You might try giving yourself some writing prompts. There are websites that offer these if you haven't heard of them before. They can help you get in the habit of writing. Or simply make a list of some of the things you might like your characters to do during the story that move their journey forward to tie everything together with the ending. Each day you pick from that list and write about that particular thing. For instance, say your main character is a baker. Make a list of things the baker might have to deal with, like creating a new recipe, entering a competition, fighting with a colleague or customer, etc. You don't necessarily have to like what you're writing, but you should be writing regardless. Sometimes the act of writing alone can generate a new idea or a fresh perspective you can run with over later chapters. Good luck!

Never give up! I know it can be hard, I am having a little trouble with one chapter at the moment which has to fill in a gap between actions. So I know how it feels.
Ask people to read the book and give you ideas, that way you may be able to get a little extra inspiration and just let the writing flow on out again. Fresh eyes can help a lot.
But never give up!! I will read what you have if you like and see if I can give you some help. Pm me and I will send you my email address if you would like me to help.
Sharon

-- 24 Nov 2013, 07:44 --

Having problems with pm will msg u when I get home

For me the key in filling the gaps between moments of high action is to know your characters really well and use those little moments to develop their relationships with each other and their own personalities. For example if you have a couple falling in love that could be a really good moment to have them share a few feelings or an awkward moment, or a parent-child relationship could be highlighted by a brief depiction of an activity or a little moment together that characterises them. I find humour is also good in these instances if that's appropriate to your work, because readers don't tend to feel like they're reading 'filler' parts if there's something that makes them laugh, or something new to learn about the characters in the tale.

As soon as the story is done, it is finished. Don't feel bad if it's a short story.

This was the problem I had. Feeling the need to fill pages. Once I dismissed any goals regarding length I was free to tell my story. Ironically, the removal of that goal was the key to me reaching it.

Tell your story, and whatever length it turns out to be is correct.

Writing shouldn't be "filling pages" at all, unless you're writing trash. A story, either short, long, or perhaps a novel, is as long as is needed to tell the story, no shorter and no longer.

Perhaps you're simply writing short stories and they're finished, and don't need padding. Padding a story is worthless anyway.

When I write my short stories, they are not intentionally short due to lack of material. They're short because that's all that's needed to tell the tale.

My novels however are longer because the story to tell is more complex and needs 80,000 words instead of 7500. When I set out to write a novel, I'm well aware that it's a more extensive commitment. Then I start and just write and write. It usually takes me a year to write a novel, whereas I might write a short story in 1 or 2 days.