My writing group told me I had 3 pages of backstory for a character who dies in chapter 2, and I thought that was normal | Creative Writing Prompts - Librear
My writing group told me I had 3 pages of backstory for a character who dies in chapter 2, and I thought that was normal
My buddy Mike from the Monday night critique session said I needed to kill my darlings and I rolled my eyes until he pointed out I spent 400 words describing her favorite sandwich shop for no payoff, and now I'm wondering if I'm the only one who overwrites minor people like they're the main cast.
Wait this is actually kind of relatable. I used to think every little detail about a minor character was crucial because I spent time imagining them. Then I had a beta reader tell me they skipped a whole paragraph about a cashier's tragic backstory because the cashier never showed up again. Hit me hard. Now I limit myself to two sentences max for anyone who isn't sticking around. It hurts but the pacing is way better.