The More You Dig

 

Dig deeper into your characters!
Dig deeper into your plot!
Dig deeper into everything!

That advice is all well and good, but...
The deeper you dig, the more you want to show off all the depth you’ve uncovered. There’s danger in that. And I fell victim with my first published book, The Gollywhopper Games.

In her notes, my editor wrote one sentence in the margins so many times, I was ready to buy her a stamp that read YOU need to know this, but do WE? 

She was right. You didn’t. But it’s hard to make the reader feel satisfied that you’ve explored everyone, everything, every idea  to the nth degree without spilling it all onto the page.

And so, I’ve learned to keep digging. Digging deep, deeper, deepest. But some thoughts are better left in my notes.

Jody Feldman is currently digging deeply into a character she’s trying to get to know much better. The question is, will that person open up? Or does Jody need to move on? We’ll see.