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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/27095
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I have discovered that I am most definitely not a pantser, especially when writing longer pieces. The last couple of times I've tried to write a novel, I didn't feel like I was writing enough. I didn't plan either novel.

For my latest attempt, this time a sci-fi novel, I have an outline. A 3000-word outline that goes over the whole plot, chapter by chapter. But I still feel like my story isn't going to be as long as I had hoped.

I'm pretty confident that my plot is deep enough, and that I could write a whole novel out of it, maybe 80000 words. But at the start of the 5th chapter, I'm headed more toward half that size. I think the problem is that I'm sticking too much to my outline, and only writing the parts that are crucial to the plot.

I know word count isn't everything, but I'm still a bit worried the book won't be what I want it to be when I'm finished. Am I worrying too much about length? What can I do to add details and interesting stuff to my story, other than just the major plot points?

Original score: 2