Literary Fiction

How Can I Avoid Over-Explaining in My Fiction?

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Dear Editor…

I tend to over-explain in my novel manuscripts. Can you suggest a way to keep that in check?

Sincerely,
Too Much

Dear Too Much …

In the spirit of over-explaining, I’ll suggest FOUR ways:

1. Notice when you’re giving more than a paragraph of exposition to any one item. Even if you eventually decide all of it must stay, the More Than One Paragraph Alarm will help you pause, consider, and justify.

2. You needn’t fully explain a thing when it first comes up. Strong storytelling is often about scattering seeds that eventually bloom into a full garden. A brief mention of something here, another brief mention of it later, and so on… until the reader is walking through that garden.

3. If it’s a first draft, let yourself over-explain. Don’t stop your momentum by second-guessing. You will revise–many times–so for now, just get the story out.

4. Trust your readers to get it. They will. 

Happy writing!
The Editor

The Editor, Deborah Halverson, has been editing books for thirty years and specializes in picture books, Middle Grade/Young Adult fiction and nonfiction, and New Adult fiction. For her editorial guidance in making your manuscript ready for submission to agents and publishers or for self-publishing, click Editorial services. Learn more in her books: Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies and Writing New Adult Fiction

What Do They Mean, ‘Not Literary Enough’?

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Dear Editor…

What does it mean if an agent says your MG historical novel, due to the concept, needs to be more literary? Is that referring to the choice of language and sentence structure?

Sincerely,
P.

Dear P….

The “literary” versus “commercial” distinction runs deeper than vocab and sentence structure, so elevating the language won’t address the agent’s concern. I suspect your concept promises rich exploration of themes or sociocultural issues, while the story itself is action- and dialogue-driven, having the effect of skimming the surface of those themes or issues. I hear the agent calling for richer layering, with more nuanced character work as you explore how sociocultural elements of the era affect your character and, thus, her interactions with others. Does your protagonist act and react to others in discomfiting ways that force everyone to question or defend worldviews beyond the event at hand? Consider To Kill a Mockingbird, in which a child’s fear of the bogeyman plays out against the larger canvas of a town’s railroading of a black man. As the characters confront the overt theme of racism, they also struggle with universal themes of courage, class, gender, and compassion. Layers. Literary. Above all, rich storytelling that mines the era for more than its events. Is your story layered? Should it be?

Happy writing!
The Editor