2018 Avoid characters saying what they are going to be doing. Instead, have them do it. A great example is Inception, or another heist movie, where they show them planning, but not the actual heist plan. That comes when they actually perform the hype. Planning is super important. If you have the plot of your novel, you have everything. Take JK Rowling, for example. She plotted. Planning should take 3 months. You can put more pressure and suspense in your novel by adding a time crunch. For instance, applications for the song writing contest are in seven days. You have to be careful how you pace your story. If you are about to reveal who is behind the door and begin ten pages of exposition or flashback or a character talking about how the door reminds them of the Photography Museum, your reader will get pissed off. Try to make your story as honest as possible. You want to talk about things that really matter. You don't want to skirt around things because that will feel