: Re: When is it ok to add filler to a story? After a couple iterations I came up with the "skeleton" or summary of my story. I have read many places and guides saying "if it's not advancing

@Deb2945533

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Welcome to the writing SE.

So. A story is more than plot.

Sure, a story is a sequence of pivotal events--'action' that more or less defines the plot. But a story is more than that.

It is the sequence of choices. The sequence of deliberative thought processes that lead to those choices. The sequence of changing relationships between characters. The sequence of emotions that a character experiences.

Examine any story that comes to mind--all of these above elements move within the story. A story is not just bare-bones plot.

The above are all things that typically move and change in the story, more or less in tempo with the plot. It is normal, for example, when the plot elements are most overwhelming to the main character, for the main character to feel despair, and to lean on their relationships, or perhaps destroy them. Those emotions and relational aspects are intriguing in their own right.

And, outside of these 'moving' sequences, all of which have a shape to them through the story, and all of which contribute to sculpt the final multi-threaded experience of reading the story, one also includes static items. Like description. Or other external context--the past, the future. One pays attention to pacing, and rhythm. One might choose to add words simply because it changes the music of the passage. One adds nuance through adjectives and adverbs.

You don't add filler--what you add is another moving thread. It might be examining the relationships of the characters and embellishing how those are deepened, or destroyed, or healed. It might be examining the emotional journey of the character, how they go from eager-beaver status to demoralized suicidal status to resolute determination. It might be contextualizing the story within the larger world.

Not filler, though. Imagine stuffing a roast chicken. You can use any recipe you like. If you just cram in more bread cubes, you'll have stuffing, but if instead you add the right blend of spices, some vegetables and nuts, some oil or other... you'll have a side dish people want instead of the chicken. That's what you want--the spices and complementing bits to make the story delicious. Not simply bread cubes.

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