forum My characters eat too much in my book
Started by @Pepsi-spilled-on-the-pages
tune

people_alt 62 followers

@Pepsi-spilled-on-the-pages

It's pretty much half of all the stuff that happens. My friend who has been reading it and critiquing it says I should get rid of all (or most) of the eating and sleeping scenes. I just don't really know what else to add? There is really only two characters and they're 'stuck' in a cabin in the woods so I really dont know how to make it not boring I guess

@Darkblossom group

It's pretty much half of all the stuff that happens. My friend who has been reading it and critiquing it says I should get rid of all (or most) of the eating and sleeping scenes. I just don't really know what else to add? There is really only two characters and they're 'stuck' in a cabin in the woods so I really dont know how to make it not boring I guess

If most of the book is spent eating or sleeping, and you're not sure what to have them do to make it not boring, then it sounds like you don't have much of a plot. Often books that have the characters stuck in an enclosed space and unable to do much focus on the psychological aspects of it and the relationships between the characters. Instead of there being physical action, there is emotional 'action' and development. And a general rule of writing is that no one really wants to see the regular day-to-day things the characters do unless its specifically important to the plot. Just a thought, hope you figure it out!

Mt. G router

Instead of there being physical action, there is emotional 'action' and development.

This hits the nail on the head. It sounds like you need conflict somewhere, either internally or externally. In either case, you probably want to show (not tell) that conflict manifesting through physical mannerisms and emotions that leak out through the conversations that happen while eating and/or sleeping. For example, maybe one character reveals a deep secret while they're eating, or they have a heated argument while they're trying to sleep. This way, even these seemingly mundane moments can be filled with tension and excitement.

You could try incorporating some kind of external obstacle or conflict that arises during these scenes. For example, maybe a wild animal comes to the door of the cabin while they're eating, or a fire breaks out while they're trying to sleep. This adds some urgency to the story and keeps it from becoming boring, but you need to make sure it fits into the grand scheme of the plot you're developing, and not just happening to add action.

You could also try to play around with the timing of these scenes. For example, instead of having a scene where they eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, you could have a scene where they eat breakfast and then fast forward to dinner, skipping the in-between moments. This way, you can focus on the most interesting parts of the day (and the important parts other than eating and sleeping) and keep the story moving forward without sacrificing realism.