BiggusBeardus
Minstrel
Hello!
I've been working on actually writing chapters, but I'm concerned I'm writing "filler."
I'm going back and writing a new outline and determining how each chapter "moves the plot forward" but I'm not entirely sure what that means. The basic plot is find the magical relic. Not every chapter is the MC searching for the relic. Other stuff has to happen.
For example, in chapter 2 the MC is training with his father. The dad is a famous adventurer and the MC wants to be one too. The MC has come up with his first "adventure" and is preparing for it. The whole chapter is mainly the training and some family interaction time and right now it is sitting at 5812 words. In my mind, the training for the adventure is what is moving the plot forward because the MC needs to be prepared for stuff. And the other stuff in the chapter shows the MC in his "ordinary world" before he enters the "Special world" of the adventure. If I only had what "moves the plot forward" it would be one sentence: Dal trains to prepare for his adventure. That's dumb.
Other chapters may just introduce other characters and tie them into the story. Not much really "happens."
I read books all the time that have all kinds of stuff going on that doesn't really move the plot forward as far as I can tell.
So what counts as "moving the plot forward?"
I've been working on actually writing chapters, but I'm concerned I'm writing "filler."
I'm going back and writing a new outline and determining how each chapter "moves the plot forward" but I'm not entirely sure what that means. The basic plot is find the magical relic. Not every chapter is the MC searching for the relic. Other stuff has to happen.
For example, in chapter 2 the MC is training with his father. The dad is a famous adventurer and the MC wants to be one too. The MC has come up with his first "adventure" and is preparing for it. The whole chapter is mainly the training and some family interaction time and right now it is sitting at 5812 words. In my mind, the training for the adventure is what is moving the plot forward because the MC needs to be prepared for stuff. And the other stuff in the chapter shows the MC in his "ordinary world" before he enters the "Special world" of the adventure. If I only had what "moves the plot forward" it would be one sentence: Dal trains to prepare for his adventure. That's dumb.
Other chapters may just introduce other characters and tie them into the story. Not much really "happens."
I read books all the time that have all kinds of stuff going on that doesn't really move the plot forward as far as I can tell.
So what counts as "moving the plot forward?"