There are a lot of sins that mess up first drafts. Here’s how to commit them.
*This video, plus The Name Game: Problem #71 and Problem #18: Who Cares?, were entered by the same contestant. All points, votes, and stars for each video were combined, and gave the contestant the highest aggregate point count of any contestant.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I wish this had been chosen as a finalist because this is a HUGE problem I have. I stick to the action too much and I lack those slower character development scenes. I’d love to see how she helps you with this problem, so I hope you’re selected in the future!
It is good to cover this problem. You kept it effective by having only two characters, which to me represent the writer and the reader.
It is the same problem that I have with short stories. I jump through the action too quickly so the reader can’t keep up to understand everything. The problem is trying to slow down without too much telling rather than showing. I thought, as my ideas always end up more complex and need more exploration than a short story snapshot can provide, I’d be better suited to writing a novel. However, if you get this during novel writing, I can’t wait to read a whole compilation of the 101 Mistakes, to improve my writing in general!
I think weaving the story together so that it has just the right mixture of action, explanation and suspense is the hardest bit, whether it’s a novel or not.