So in my WIP I have a girl in the afterlife. Looking at it I notice it is a bit just meat and bones. The flow kind of flashes between her life(Or former life) and her existence in the spirit realm. I like this flow. I have plenty of "alive" moments to go to but I lack a good counter balancing number of dead moments. My brain is just failing me. Way I figure it you guys love being helpful right? Plus sometimes just typing the question out can help you figure out the answer. I got context before it sounds like I am just begging. lol. In the afterlife there is no need for food or water(no potty breaks). Sleep is still needed. Beyond that there is like nothing to do. Or better phase nothing that has to be done. The universe around you can be molded(like play dough) and events between spirits tend to be sort of contests for fun or simple characters hanging out. Like a married couple trying to create a romantic looking room. No technology exists and no items that are not simple can be created. So can't make a TV but you could make a complex ruthgoldburg machine(Assuming no parts required electricity.) Think that is enough here? Or any questions? The MC is a woman that is reunited with her son. The two have not seen each other in a long time. So long that the spirit realm no longer holds any living people that these two know.(Probably better you don't ask why on that.) So I am figuring the best filler and heart warming event would be between these two. Just not sure what to have them do. What would you do? Thanks for the help!
Why not have her searching for her son, then introduce an antagonist who is manipulating the spirit world to keep them apart (don't know why). She/ he (depending on which POV you are using) need to overcome these various obstacles and "defeat" the antagonist before they can meet again.
It just isn't possible to be brief AND give complete context is it? Two counter points to the idea. 1. A plot theme like that doesn't seem filler ish. That seems like a full story concept. 2. Not actually possible. The rulers of this realm are actually introducing them. No one in this realm can even come close to opposing them. So someone trying to stand in between? Not possible or smart. Thanks for the fast response. I figured though with the other dark themes I got. This might be a nice light hearted moment. Like reunion with the son and they did fun stuff. I already have this happening but I realize it is really short(two days) and thought with all the build up/tension before or after that maybe this scene should be longer. Know what I mean?
"Dead moments?" A reader does need the pace slowed down now and then. But, every word that does not help the story should be cut. Don't just put stuff in as fill. If you want to slow the plot down, build small sub plots along the way...just be sure to close all sub plots before you close the main plot.
Did you leave out your plot for simplicity's sake? It's a little hard for us to give further suggestions without knowing much about the plot. But I'm assuming you're going to have the actually story in the living realm, with the filler in the spirit realm. If that's the case, maybe the son is having trouble adjusting to the spirit realm. So the mother recreates a tender moment they shared in life, to give him a feeling of still being connected and normal. Maybe she takes him "fishing" or builds his old bedroom or something like that. Weird coincidence, though... I actually just started working on a story that is incredibly similar to this. Strange.
Yeah I agree. This isn't about word count though. Slowing the pace here is meant to help the flow. Like other actions happen. I want the reader to get a moment to breath and maybe go "Aww shucks" Ok let me try to explain. This story is about a Villain from my main story that died. Does that make this a spin off? It starts with her in the spirit realm. The living realm are all flashbacks of her life. The idea is she sort of grows a heart. The pacing is sort of. Little bit of action while dead reminds her of life next chapter is a flash of her life. So her history slowly reveals itself as she goes forward with the story. Not having kids nor a desire to see my mother I kind of felt lost on what a mother and son would want to do. lol
What causes her to grow a heart? What happens in this spirit realm that makes her change? What kind of person is her son? She hasn't seen him in a long time, so how do her memories of him before compare to now, and would that be worth exploring? Maybe his memories of her are different than how she appears to him now, and how would he react to that? They could spend some time exploring these concepts.
I would write it where she does not know she is dead, and is still trying to do what she did when alive.
She knows she is dead. I mean. Like I said she doesn't need food. Be kind of hard to no notice that. Plus she should be never advised to do what she did most of her life. lol
@jaebird has the right idea. "Filler" won't help you without plot. What's the conflict? What is the character's agency. Plot vs story We can't help you with story unless we know the plot.
I know that there's an obsession with food and celebrity chefs in the media nowadays, but some people just eat when they're hungry, and don't give a damn about food otherwise. For them, "needing food" is just something that gets in the way of doing something more interesting, so "not needing food" wouldn't kick in to tell them they're dead.
O k so the story is about the struggle of reformed villain coming to terms with the fact she kind of made it in to heaven. The end involves her giving up heaven for a chance at true redemption. Heaven for her is time with her son.so for it too be seen as a high price I want to show some great heart warming moments. I have a couple but not enough. Ps. Writing on tablet so please forgive mistakes.
lol.point is that her being dead is clear.plus she is dead for like a full month. You wouldn't wonder why you were hungry after that long?
