"What are some tips for writers who want to start writing longer stories?" -- Mew931

My goodness it has been forever since I updated this. I was feeling a little blue and so to keep me from starting a whole new story, I thought, why not update this?

As far as tips for wanting to write longer stories, start by writing in active voice rather than passive. Try removing as many is, was, am, has, have, had, and thens from your writing. Try adding in thoughts to show what the character is thinking and how they feel. A novel may seem like a lot but once you really get into active voice (or showing instead of telling) the words start adding up and soon you'll be at 80,000 + words.

To extend the story line, try plotting. You'll need to come up with a complex plot that will take more than a few pages to complete. You can map out scenes beforehand so you can get an idea for how long the story could be and see if you need to add more.

If you feel really connected with your characters, you will want to keep writing because you won't want to say goodbye to them. The more 3D a character is, the more they can be developed throughout the story, giving you a character ARC to write about.

Write a piece of the story everyday, even if it's only five hundred words. After four months you could have sixty thousand words!

Read published novels in the age group you are writing for. You'll learn a lot and find a vast amount of inspiration.