Be Careful of TOO MUCH

We probably have all seen the acronym K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid). It does seem, however, that many writers have forgotten this concept when it comes to their writing. In fact, this is one of those reasons that I find I pass on so many projects. The writers have literally tried to take on far too much in the story. When this happens, the focus of the story is lost in all of the smaller other "supposed subplots" the author has created.

This happens for a lot of reasons. One of the first is when your wonderful critique partners, in an attempt to help you ask, "So, why does your hero act this way? There needs to be a reason." That part is 100% true, however, it does not require you to create an entirely convoluted backstory, and intricate subplot to explain this. Guess what? People can act a certain way because it is their personality. 

Another reason that authors start adding a lot of extra "stuff" is when they believe they just don't know what more to say about the idea. Essentially, this is a word count issue. The author is looking at their story and wondering how they can reach that word count they wanted? So, the add "stuff" to their story. The real issue, however, stems from the fact that the author has poor topic selection.

Before you even start writing your story, you need to take the time to think about the story. Yes, you have to plot it out? Is this a story really worthy of a full novel? Is this something that might be better suited for a short story or novella? You can't just say you will make it work. Think of it this way? You found this great recipe that you had with a friend. It is a fantastic evening meal for a couple. But Thanksgiving is on the way and your entire family is coming. Time to break out that recipe. But a you are prepping the meal, you now realize it is not enough. So you start "adding stuff" to the meal plan. In the end, that one recipe that would be the star of the show is now lost among all of the other "not so good" items you threw into the mix to make the meal bigger.

The last problem is when the author believes adding in all of these layers makes the writing more "complex" and "provides depth to the character." Sorry, but the idea is not "complex" but is now "convoluted" and "complicated." To add to this, the reader will simply not be able to connect to the characters. They can't relate to all of the issues the character is facing. 

In simple terms. Keep your story focused. Build on that one idea and let that single idea work for you!