A novel can be a slim volume or an impressive tome, but it must be at least 70,000 words long(unless it's a Mills & Boon style romance, or erotica, when you can get away with 50,000).

If your novel is shorter than that, don't cudgel your brain to create more plot. You may just be one of those writers who writes "short". If that's the case, you may be able to solve the problem - and improve your novel immeasurably - by amplifying what you've already got

It's more likely, though, that your novel is longer, because most writers write "long". If you feel the words flow easily on to the page, you probably write long.

Both tendencies have their pro's and con's, so let's look at them in more detail.   -

I've encountered writers who write long, who think they're good writers because words come easily to them.   Bear in mind, though - that's only a good thing if they're the right words!

In reality, long writers often include unnecessary detail (or even unnecessary whole scenes), use over-complicated sentence constructions, go off on tangents, and over-develop minor characters - whatever, the result can be saggy or boring sections which will lose a reader's interest.

A long writer's first draft will need stringent editing before it's ready for publication. It's a good problem to have (though I know it's painful to do the slashing!), because it's easier to remove words than to add them.

If your background is in journalism or business writing, chances are you write "short". After all, you've spent years learning how to write "just the facts, ma'am"! The thing is, a novel isn't just about facts - it's about atmosphere, description and feelings, too.

I write short, but I didn't know it until I read a book set on the same Greek island as my own novel.

The author took a page and a half to describe the harbour. To describe the same harbour, I'd written three lines! Personally, I thought a page and a half was too much. But I had to admit, it was a heck of a lot better than my three lines...

If you write short, you need to work on each scene to add in what you're unconsciously editing out.

• Scene setting. The reader needs to know where your characters are, even if it's a fairly nondescript room. A good exercise is to try to use each of the five senses to describe the setting. I've never managed more than four, but doing the exercise does make me think!
• Character description. The first time a character is introduced, you must describe them, including the colour of their hair and eyes and what they're wearing. It takes skill to work this in without it looking too clunky, but it can be done and it's absolutely critical.
• Show not tell. Unless you're inside a character's head (which is a legitimate place to be sometimes), don't mind-read. Put yourself in the reader's shoes and describe what they see, not what you know about the characters. For instance, never say, "Christine felt a pain in her chest". Instead, say, "Christine's face spasmed in pain and she clutched her chest". The main benefit of this approach is that it makes the scene more alive, but a by-product is that it also uses more words!

Happy writing!