After writing your first draft, you should expand the story. The deeper the story dives, the stronger it will become. Plot holes disappear. Characters develop more. Backstories appear. There’s a quick way to do all of this.
Fan girl.
You read that right.
If you’re not in love with your story, no one will be. Fan girls are people with the biggest love toward stories. They know everything there is to know.
Create your own theories about your book’s plot. Take a step back to analyze a character you never gave much attention to until now. Pick a certain scene and try to decipher every word of it. Become one of those English teachers who try to find “what the writer means.”
Doing this has helped me understand my book more than I thought I needed to. Most of it happens in daydreams to be honest. I’ve figured out character motivations and plot holes by daydreaming the day away.
Don’t let anyone be more of a fan of your story than you.
Robin LeeAnn 