Finishing the First Draft of TMNT: Resurrection

I recently finished the first draft of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Resurrection. It’s shorter than I would like - less than 50k words when my goal was closer to 75k. It’s a problem that I’m going to have to solve in my writing style. I tend to get to the point too quickly, leaving story on the table. I freely admit that characters are a challenge for me, but that’s what the second draft/rewrite is for.

Right now I’m taking a break from writing fiction. I’m pursuing other creative pursuits, letting the first draft sit for a bit. I have an app idea for the iPhone that I’m working on and I’m thinking of doing some world-building for my next original novel idea.

I’m also reading a book about three-act story structure called Save the Cat Writes a Novel. Save the Cat was originally for screenwriters but they released another version for novel writing. One thing it has me considering is that the character of your story has wants and needs. The arc of your character happens when your character learns the theme of the book by failing to achieve their wants, but transforming and getting what they actually need. Looking back at Resurrection, I’m thinking about how I can apply this to get a more character-focused, rich story.