Wednesday's Writer's Tip - More points to remember #MFRWauthor

You've just about planned your story or you're going back to see if you have covered all the points. There are a few things to remember. If your story is plot or character focused, when the major complication is solved you've reached the end. Sure you can have a few paragraphs to wrap up the mystery, romance elements but don't continue for more chapters. The reader has been satisfied by the ending and going on will only irritate them.

Several other things you must consider is the time line. All stories have this limiting facter whether it be days, weeks, months or years. You need to have your time line accurate. I've had to go back and fix errors in the time line many more times than I'd like to admit. There's nothing more distressing than reading a story and finding something should have been placed earlier in the book.

Continuity is another factor you need to check. Does each scene make sense following the one before? If not the reader will become lost or annoyed. Make sure each incident impacts the focus character or characters in some way. If they don't, they're probably padding. Don't want to do that.
Ask yourself Is this scene necessary? If not delete those words.

The last thing is pacing. Do the scenes drive the story toward that moment when the major complication is solved?