Writers are often advised to “advance” or move their stories, and to trim away anything that DOESN’T move it. But how do you actually do that?
Writing Tip for Today: Here’s a little check list of things you can do to keep your novel’s plot (story) advancing:

• Fast Forward to the Action: Many first-time novelists defend a slow opening by claiming they need to set up or provide background info in order for readers to  understand the story. NOT! Readers will forgo a lot of background or what led up to the story in exchange for the character doing something about the story. Avoid long descriptive or narrative openings, big chunks of back story or other static introductions. You can weave in these details on a need to know basis.
• Manage Your Timeline. Readers could feel that the story doesn’t move if you write too many consecutive scenes that are similar in the way they make the story progress. Especially true for Multiple POV novels. You might pick the best passage and jettison the others. It’s difficult to let go of stuff you worked hard to produce, but do it anyway. You can write more stuff.
• Kick Rabbit Holes to the Curb. In your research, you might find all sorts of great material and want to work it into your story. This is OK, but ONLY if the info FORCES THE PROTAGONIST TO ACT ON THE STORY PROMISE. Avoid padding your prose with great facts, side trips or stuff that’s “interesting.” Saying the info “adds to the characterization” is usually not a good enough reason to digress from the original goal.
• Give Characters a Workout. Look through your manuscript draft. Do you see a lot of scenes where the players are sitting around eating or drinking or thinking? In real life we do a lot of this but in a novel, the story will feel slow or stalled if the characters never do much else. Instead of sipping tea, could characters be shelling peas or washing the car? Movement in a scene energizes the reader. Make it work for you.
• Follow Up on Story Promise. Whatever the narrator is most concerned with in the opening becomes the story promise or story question in the reader’s mind. If the character is worried that her parents care more about the new adopted sister than they do for the character, the reader will get the idea that this novel will be about belonging (or not), carving out one’s identity or dealing with life’s disappointments. If you then start down a path of how this character tries to become a famous actress and it isn’t related to the adoption issue, the reader gets confused. The trick is that YOU as the author should know what your main story promise/question is.
• That’s Revision! All these ideas are meant for you to deal with after your draft is complete, or at least well into drafting. Many novelists change the premise, nail down or alter the story promise AS they draft. It’s OK. Write Fast. Write Often. Revise Later.