Just Read: THE RACKETEER by John Grisham--Kind of a slow pace for me, but it picked up when we learned the narrator wasn't telling us everything.
Reading Now: GREEN MARS by Kim Stanley Robinson
There are a few aspects of writing that I find continually challenging to self-evaluate, and pacing is one of them. I've always approached it instinctively when editing--does this feel right? It's all very subjective; I feel as though pacing lacks some of the other more definitive mechanics of other aspects of writing. Things like tone, theme, and points along the character arc also fall into this category for me. Spotting where such changes are needed is probably the part of fiction I struggle with the most.
Editing myself is something I've been working on improving all year. I read a book on the topic, scanned some helpful blog posts, and listened to a number of (very generous) podcasts by published authors. I've also allowed myself more time between composing the first draft and editing it into a final draft, which is a tip I've seen pop up again and again, and I'm hopeful it will pay off.
So now what I'm doing is writing a story each quarter for the Writers of the Future Contest, letting it sit for a month or more, and then revisiting it and editing it before the submission deadline. In this way, I've earned a Silver Honorable Mention in three of the last four quarters. I've earned a minimum of Honorable Mention every quarter for the last two and a half years. I'm so extremely hopeful to get a win that it's painful sometimes, but all I can do is keep writing the best story I can and submitting.
If you know any good books on self-editing, leave the title in the comments! Thanks!
