Ah. Here it is, the million dollar question.

The biggest problem with us and writing is plot speed. If you've never felt like you're moving way too fast when you write, then you're either a genius or a robot. 

Back when I started, this was my number one concern. Through writing the Ask/Dare book, while writing Fleeing The Past, most certainly. 

I used to get insecure about it, and I'd ask readers if my stories were going too fast. They'd always reply with "Of course not! Your stories are fine!"

So I convinced myself that maybe, nothing was wrong with my writing, and maybe all writers just feel like that naturally?

I'm now here to stand in front of you and tell you I was most certainly wrong. If you feel like your story is moving too fast, then I'm sorry to say it, but it is. And while your readers might not mind all that much, the truth is they're going to enjoy an easy-paced story much more than a fast-paced one. So without further ado, I present you:

How To Slow Down Your Story Plots.

((First off, not to seem like a self plug or anything, but in this chapter I'll be using my own work for examples. Vain, I know, but I don't want to criticise anybody else's work except for mine. That'd just be nasty, ya feel?))

1. Add a Giant Car Crash In The Middle.

Okay, okay. So maybe not a car crash, specifically, but if your story is moving too quickly, then you haven't got enough conflict. If you've just finished the third chapter, and your character is already one step away from finishing their epic quest, then something is wrong. 

Conflict is very important. As an author, it's our job to take our readers from A to B. They're all nicely strapped in their seats, ready for a nice smooth drive, and it's our privilege (and our pleasure) to make that drive as rocky as all Hell. It's our job to make them clutch to the edges of their seats and scream and wonder 'WHY DID I EVER READ THIS BOOK?'.

I'm not saying that you should put a complete second storyline in the book. I'm not saying you should suddenly make your character go on a completely new adventure, but you can easily add little things in. 

George is one town away from his final destination? Make the road close, so he has to go on a different, more dangerous route through the forest that nobody has returned from!

Thea is ready to confess her undying love for Samantha? Make Samantha let out a comment about how if a girl ever asked her out, she'd be creeped out! 

Paola is finally ready to move out of the house? Uh oh, they've just moved in with a roommate who doesn't have their best interests at heart!

Little things that will distract the protagonist from their conclusion, and add some good old-fashioned drama. Try choosing a category from the Seven Types Of Conflict and see if you can cook something up!

2. Add a new character.

Ahh, what would fanfiction be without O/Cs? I'm gonna be honest here; characters are the most fun part of writing. Whether you write fanfic or original stories, the best part of creating any book is being able to take some ink on a page, or some pixels on a screen, and turn them into a living, breathing construct of your imagination. 

If your story has just two characters, it's probably going to go too fast.

Characters are fun little things to bring in, because one person in a plot can change everything. Without Oliver, Set Backs would be simply straightforward. Without Dan and Chris, the ending of Fleeing The Past would be drastically different. Without Ron and Hermione, Harry Potter would be tremendously tedious! 

That being said, you don't want to suddenly have a character appear from nowhere, no. If you're going to write a character in, it shouldn't be just to save your plot. They have to have a purpose, they have to have a story to tell! You can't just suddenly have someone we've never met before pop in for tea and start making changes. 

Whether it be that they are secretly a traitor, or that they want to steal the love interest away, or that they're trying to distract the protagonist from their final goal, adding extra characters is a perfect way to give you more time to plan.

3. Give yourself a word limit.

Okay, this one and the next one are more 'how to stop your chapters from going too fast', but I think they're just as important. 

My current word limit is 1000-2000 words per chapter. You wouldn't want anything longer for a Wattpad chapter - people are reading on the go, and they don't like pages and pages and pages of updates. 

I think adding a word limit to your writing is the best advice I could give. It's helped me so much. I wouldn't suggest going for a 2000 word limit off hand, but 800 word chapters can be really good, too. Even if it's 500 words to start off with, try to average +200 words to what you usually do. You'll notice yourself improve outta sight!

4. Description!

Have a look at the first paragraph from two of my stories.

The Ask / Dare Book:

Y i k e s. Maximum cringe, right there. There are all kinds of errors in this, I could go on for a thousand words, but you see how fast it's moving? Things are switching from one second to the next.

Now have a look at the first paragraph of a oneshot I wrote recently: 

See how it seems to move much more slowly? I mean, you might have enjoyed both, sure, but you have to say that the second one is written much better. 

Now, I'm not saying that you have to fill up your story with that much description. Stories can work fine with less description! Gosh knows, I'm an impatient person, and if someone uses 5 different metaphors to describe the colour of the sky, I'll x outta there asap. But it's something to consider if everything is moving a little too fast.

Activity:

Grab a chapter of your book - or, if you haven't got one yet, any story you wrote - and add something to each line. It could be one word, it could be a sentence. Read it over, and see if it moves smoothly now! 

Useful Links: 

Chuck Wendig's "Zero-F**kery Quick-Create Guide To Kick-Ass Characters" has some REALLY good and really funny advice on how to create plot. I found it a few days ago and it was what inspired me to write this book! (Warning: strong language (and very mild nsfw themes?))

Questions? Comments? ANGRY RANTS?

Leave 'em below!