Jennifer Hudson Taylor's Blog

Plenty of information exists on how to tighten your sentence structure to cut out unnecessary words and trim the fat from your writing, but few resources explain how to increase the word count. And believe me, adding fluff doesn’t count. An editor will spot it right away and so will avid readers.

To prove my point, I’d like to share my experience during an interview with a well-known, respected editor at a CBA publisher. This editor seemed interested in the story but wouldn’t ask to see it since it was too short for their single-title line. My immediate response was that I could lengthen it. The editor replied that they wouldn’t want me to add “fluff”. I told her I would add a couple of plot twists. She seemed tempted to entertain the thought, but with me being an “inexperienced” and “unpublished” author, she wasn’t willing to take a chance.

So how do you add 25-30K words to a manuscript without making it seem like a bunch of fluff?

I have three methods for increasing the word count. If you only need to add a few thousand words you may only need to choose one or two of these. If you need to add 15K words or more to your manuscript, you may try layering in all three of these methods.

Add a Few Plot Twists

Throw in another obstacle or two to keep your main characters’ from achieving their goals. You may have to deepen their motivation to keep them going, but it will be worth it. Among your new scenes, be sure to show how this will affect them spiritually and emotionally. What reaction can you show that won’t take him/her out of character?

If you are satisfied with the beginning of the story, I would recommend adding a few plot twists around the middle toward the end of the book. This way you will only need to revise the beginning and rewrite from the middle to the end of the story, adding new scenes as necessary.

Add a New Secondary Character

If you choose to add a new character, make sure that character has a specific purpose and is instrumental to the story. Will this character contribute a new viewpoint? How will he/she change the story? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Will this change confuse the reader or add to the depth of the reader’s understanding and enjoyment?

Some characters won’t make or break a story, but they can definitely add flavor through humor and annoyances to enhance it. Examples of some of these characters are the donkey in Shrek, Smee in Hook, and Lilly in the Princess Diary. These characters definitely give the story more flavor and is more enjoyable to the reader and viewer.

Write in Deeper POV

Another way to significantly add to your word count is to write in a deeper point of view. This is a layering concept that connects with the reader on a deeper, emotional level and is much harder for inexperienced writers to achieve. I’ve written a couple of articles on Digging Deep into POV, which may help with understanding this concept. The second post on this topic includes a few examples. I will post links in a few weeks.

Whenever you need to increase the word count, make sure you add something that is meaningful and not fluff or an editor will definitely reject it or ask you to rewrite it.

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Do you enjoy combing the beach for beautiful and interesting shells?

Whether you enjoy shelling to create new crafts, collecting memory pieces for all the places you’ve traveled, or just love finding shells for your collection, our North Carolina beaches are full of all types of shells. Most of the images I’ve displayed in this post are from North Topsail Beach, and I’ll share a few helpful tips on how best to find the unique treasures you’re after. Location and timing are vital.

Low Tide

Low tide is the best time to go shelling because as the tide goes out, you will be able to walk the shoreline and see what the waves brought in and left. In the summer, you’ll be able wade out further in the water with a sand dipper and lift up any shells you might see under the shallow water to determine if they are keepers. As a gentle reminder, if there any living creatures still living in the shell, please return them back to the sea.

Dawn & Sunrise

Getting out first thing in the morning before sunrise, is a great time to comb the beach for shells. The early risers will be able to find the best treasures first. By mid-morning a lot of the best finds will have already been discovered. Be sure to carry a bag or bucket with you, as you gather your collection.

After Storms

Another great time to go shelling is after a quick summer storm or a large tropical storm when many shells are churned up by the winds and heavy currents and higher than normal tides. This can occur a few hours to days after the storm. In addition to shells, you may find pieces from old wrecks, sea glass, sharks teeth, old sea fossils and lots of interesting finds to pique your curiosity. For instance, here on North Topsail lots of pieces of black asphalt often appear from an old road that the sea consumed years ago.

If you would like to learn more about this road, here is an article on Topsail Magazine with a bit more information. Below is an image I captured of the remnants of this old road that is now under the sea. When the tide is very low, we can still see what is left of it. It’s hard to believe that people used to drive on this road and the ocean used to be so much further back. It really brings to light the erosion that is happening on our sandy shores.

Location

Little tidal pools can leave a treasure of goodies. These are shallow pools of water where shells are easy to spot. The fishing piers are a great place to check under and around for shells. As shells often wash up around these structures and may become trapped by the additional structures and barnacles that tend to form on them. The north and south ends of Topsail Island are excellent options where the inlets and currents flow stronger than anywhere else. Where there is moving water, there is typically more fish and shellfish moving about.

Common Shells on North Carolina Beaches

While this is not an exhaustive list, I’ve included items that we typically see on a regular basis with images from our collection. I’ve tried to keep things simple and generic in regard to identifying these shells and have avoided their scientific names. Some of these shells may be known by other nicknames as well, but I’ve listed them with the name I’m most familiar with and what you will most likely hear from other people.

Baby’s Ear ShellsClam ShellGiant Cockle ShellFull Cockle Clam ShellHeart Cockle Shells (Ark Clams)Olive ShellsScallop ShellShark Eye ShellsPen ShellsRare Shells on North Carolina Beaches

All of the shells in the rare gallery can be found on our North Carolina beaches, but they are harder to find, especially on North Topsail Island where I live. For instance, you can find starfish on the island, but we haven’t included any as they are seen less often. While the Scotch Bonnet shell is the official North Carolina shell, we only see these on occasion.

Atlantic Murex ShellsBanded Tulip ShellCalico Box Crab ShellHelmet Conch ShellSand DollarsScotch Bonnet Shell (Official NC Shell)Spiral Snail ShellTopsnail ShellKnobbed Welk ShellShare with your connection:

In these difficult economic times, writers are struggling with whether to write the stories on their hearts or write what the market will buy and sell. If you are depending on your writing income for a living, the pressure to write for a market may be even stronger. So what should a writer do?

I think it depends on where you are in your career and what doors are open to you. It’s hard for a new, unpublished writer to break into publishing during great economic times, but even harder during a recession. But as Christians, we have to remember that God is still on the throne and He’s the same God in the best of times, as well as the worst of times. Several authors and I are a testament, that new, unpublished authors can receive their first contract during a recession. In fact, it seems like more of a miracle.

Pre-published Authors

If you are still unpublished, take advantage of the fact that you can write whatever is on your heart and on a schedule that is convenient for you and your family. One positive aspect about a recession is that it’s temporary. The market will change again, and if you are willing to be patient, it will swing back in favor of what you’re writing. With God, everything is about timing and occurs in its proper season.

Don’t try to write to a market. By the time you finish your book and begin shopping it around to editors, the market will have changed again. This is a time to sharpen your skills and have other books available. If you have plenty of finished manuscripts to sell, a publisher will be more confident in your ability to finish a novel, to write a series, and meet deadlines so you won’t be a “one-book wonder”. You will have more to offer readers after your first book is contracted.

New Contracted Authors

These authors have a foot in the door, but they don’t have a sales history and may not be able to get anything published that would be considered “risky”. Writers with new contracts are getting feedback directly from their agent and publishers. They know more about the direction of the market because of this feedback. These authors can talk to their contacts and receive professional input to which most unpublished authors don’t have access.

For instance, a publisher gave me a revision letter years ago that would require me to rewrite a significant amount of a manuscript. After that a recession hit and they have stopped buying fiction and many fiction lines folded. At that time, my agent pulled me off that story and had me lengthen another manuscript for a different editor that showed some interest. This publisher was still buying books in spite of the recession. This isn’t something I would have known without my agent’s guidance.

In this case, I wasn’t exactly writing to a market, but reworking what I had already written to make it more marketable for what is in demand at that time.

Multi-published Authors

These authors have a proven sales history, a foot in the door with several publishers, and an agent helping them to manage their career. They can sell books on proposal and may even be asked to write a book for a “risky” sub-genre that a publisher might want to test in the market. Multi-published authors are in a better position to determine if they want to write for the market, write books from their hearts, or a combination of both.

I say this, because their manuscripts are rarely thrown in the slush pile. They are read faster than an unknown author and their stories will be contracted faster as a result. They can catch a trend much quicker than a new author. Many depend on their writing income for a living and write full-time. This means they can finish books faster than an author who is trying to write between a day job, family and church acitivities.

I believe an author can write both to the market and the books of their heart, especially when they stay true to what God has called them to write. This doesn’t mean there won’t be down times, but it does mean that you might grow from one season to another. In other words, what you start out writing during the first ten years may evolve into something different through the next ten years. Be flexible through your writing journey, and open to new callings God might place on your heart. Change can be hard, but sometimes it is for the best and we may not see it until after the full change and transformation has taken place.

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When people think of an historical Christmas, they typically think of the Victorian Christmas that they have seen in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. However, the Regency period was earlier between 1800-1820, which was part of the larger Georgian era from 1714 to 1830. The Victorian era followed after that between 1830-1901. As a result, there were a few traditions that were not yet part of the Christmas holiday.

The Christmas celebrations typically began around advent, known as the fourt...

Most literary agents and publishers require an author to submit a 3-5 page synopsis. Some want a longer synopsis, while others want a one-pager or a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline. My advice is to create a 3-page synopsis since that will suffice most requests and customize it as needed, but always keep the original 3-pager as a template.

Format

The format should be much like the manuscript itself, double-spaced, one-inch margins, a header with page numbers, and a font in Times Roman N...

In 2014, my novel For Love or Loyalty was published, but it wasn’t until 2023 when I finally got a chance to visit the Burgwin-Wright House after I had researched it online and used it in my novel. This house is intriguing because it was constructed in 1770 on top of the old city jail dating back to 1744. Currently, it is the only colonial era built home that is open to the public in Wilmington, NC. This home was a perfect setting in my novel to blend in with my story which took place in 1781 du...

Q & A

Q: Can fiction be based on a true story and still be fiction?

A: Absolutely

Q: When do you know to call it nonfiction or a novel based on a true story?

A: That depends

I’m sure there are varying degrees of answers to these questions, but I’ll attempt to give you my version below.

Fiction Based on a True Story

The setting of the story may be in a real place and in a time during an actual historical event, but the characters are all fiction. While the setting and plot i...

While most people are familiar with people wearing black during a period of mourning in the old days, many are not aware of additional customs that society expected of grieving families. Many of these customs were most likely imposed upon your own family ancestors. If you enjoy reading historical fiction, it might help to understand some of these customs from fashion to pure superstitions.

But first, when exactly was the Victorian period? The Victorian Era stretched through the reign of Quee...

The first time an editor told me they thought they could acquire my manuscript after I made a few minor changes, I was thrilled! The editor sent me a brief paragraph stating that I needed to lighten the sensual detail between my hero and heroine, deepen the faith element, and lighten the Scottish brogue a bit.

Immediately I tried to think of all the scenes that could be considered sensual. There was only one that stood out in my mind, so I edited that scene. I worked on layering a few more fa...

Whenever someone discovers I’m a writer, the next question that pops out is “What do you write?”

Sometimes I give a broad term like “Christian fiction” just to see what their reaction might be. Will they be turned off by the Christian part of my answer? Will they want to know more? If they are unfamiliar with Christian fiction, often I can see the wheels turning in their head as if they are processing that piece of information and as they figure out how to respond.

The Paradox Idea

It m...