You're going to need a whole story!
We've all been there: Written a few pages, enjoying the moment, think we have a good thing going... but we just keep going over the same three and a half pages again and again, trying to make them perfect.
Well, three and a half pages isn't a very good novel, even if it's a great piece of writing. All good stories need a substantial beginning, middle and end. Without these, it's just a nice few pages.
I'll admit - I'm really bad for doing this. I'll get a short way into a story and abandon it for a fresh idea, or keep going over it to make it as great as I can, but never finishing it.
If you tend to do this, it can be a good idea to plan your story, just a basic outline will do.
Well, three and a half pages isn't a very good novel, even if it's a great piece of writing. All good stories need a substantial beginning, middle and end. Without these, it's just a nice few pages.
I'll admit - I'm really bad for doing this. I'll get a short way into a story and abandon it for a fresh idea, or keep going over it to make it as great as I can, but never finishing it.
If you tend to do this, it can be a good idea to plan your story, just a basic outline will do.
Beginning - Introduce
In the beginning, readers have to meet your main characters, and the setting also needs to be, well, set.
Middle - speed up the pace
Whatever the main idea of your story is should have been introduced, but now you need to add more detail and lots of action. many things should happen in the middle, start to slightly confuse the reader with different things, and add more action!
End - The finale
Whatever the problem is needs to be resolved, different sub-plots should come together to make one. People who need to die should die... unless you plan on writing a sequel, big cliffhangers are a bad idea - but not entirely out of the question if you have a good idea.