John asked the following question:
I’m interested in themes and plots and directions. I have great characters, settings, dialogs, etc. I’m not so sure how to move it along at a clip a modern reader (and publisher) would like.
I have the same problem. Seriously. All I can suggest is, make something HAPPEN!! Create drama in your characters’ lives and have the other characters to react to it. Death, serious illness, pregnancy, etc. Also, you can have one of your characters to receive a mysterious letter…what’s in that letter is my guess, but the news will rock the world of your main character, and other characters will be shocked to hear about this happening in their friend(s) life. Your story is one large drama and each chapter is a segment containing a mini-drama. Another good thing to do is to study other writers, see what they do and see if you can learn from their examples.
Give your characters a serious flaw. I’ve noticed that it’s easier for me when I write about the themes of financial dishonesty and alcoholism. What issues are you passionate about? What issues are your characters passionate about? If you know your characters well enough, you’ll know what kinds of things could happen to them that would bring them to their knees, seeking God, wanting answers for the traumatic events happening in their lives! I blogged about this subject over at Writers’ Rest Blog awhile ago.
I hope that little bit of information helped. Without knowing more about your characters or your storyline, that’s about all I can suggest to get you started!