Sorry I missed yesterday's post.
Just got dragged to the world of Doorways while I reread it from front to back. All in all, I didn't see too many story mistakes, although it might be that perspective thing again.
I took one month off from the book, but the moment I started reading, everything seemed to flood back to me. So if I missed something, I wouldn't be all that surprised.
There are some issues, though. It just feels as if something about Callan's voice isn't 100%. She's tricky to get down, so I need to find a way to go through her part of the story to bring her out.
But that will probably not be the biggest thing.
All through my story, but especially towards the end, I noticed a big issue. I take account of everything, but I don't give the reader enough time for everything to be absorbed.
Everything just clops on and on and on... and... point is, I need pauses. Changes in pace.
The worst is that the problem only becomes obvious while reading chunks at the same time, so changing the small things to fix it is going to be tricky.
I'm going to have to go through the book and go deeper.
But balance will be the most important thing. I don't want to end up slowing the story down completely.
How do you handle pacing?
I'm not the best at pacing. I, too, need to learn to slow down, but be sure not to slow too far down. Ah, the delicate art of writing.
ReplyDeleteI recently came across a piece of advice for revising and editing that helps clear the fog from your problems: read backwards. It breaks up the flow of the story enough for you to notice when problems arise.
Good luck!
I have a writer friend who breaks up a longer story in to smaller chunks, with each chunk having its own distinct buildup and climax every 60-90 pages or so. I think if the challenges the characters face are smaller and more immediate (i.e. running from a large monster to avoid certain death) it'll keep the reader engaged while you drop clues about the overarching theme that will eventually come together.
ReplyDeleteVery great points Misha! I have a problem with pacing too, and always have to slide in a quiet lull just to add some tension. It's tough to do without making it too much of a lullaby, and making the reader give up on it. Can't wait to read Doorways! :)
ReplyDeleteHello Misha, my blogger friend half the world away...I know this message probably catches you in the middle of the night, but I have tagged you on my blog. Please consider filling out the meme so that I can know more about you :))
ReplyDeleteInteresting, it's something I had not considered yet, since I am just 10 chapters into the current book. I'll keep an eye on it.
ReplyDeleteHey, Misha. Congrats on finishing the book! Huge accomplishment. I'm about 10 scenes out from finishing my WIP and the closer I come to the end, the more bogged down I get. I have a feeling I don't want it to end! lol
ReplyDeletePacing is a tricky animal. It's more of an intuitive thing for me (fat lot of help I am, right?). But, what really helps me is printing it out and reading it through like a book. I know *gasp*...all that paper! Here's what I do to combat that. I set the font at 11 pts, single space it, dark blue ink, 2 columns to a page. This makes it look like a book page and when I'm reading it through, I become a reader instead of a writer. I always find the problems (where I get blog down in the story, where it isn't flowing right, which parts annoy me because they are not reading fast or slow enough).
Hope that helps. Have a great weekend!
Laura that's an interesting idea...
ReplyDeleteMarjorie that's what I do too. But I leave myself behind in some places because I'm going too fast. Imagine if it's a reader.
Amy that's my worry. Don't want to bore the reader silly either. But a lot is happening in the book... I'm serious about you beta-reading if you want.
Hehe Michael I will fill the meme. Either tomorrow or on Monday.
Joe I suggest you do. I didn't really and now I've got a mountain of work.
Thanks E.C. :-)I definitely will do as you suggest. It sounds like the perfect way to pick up anything wrong.
Like E.C., pacing is more intuitive for me, but when I do need to work something out, visualizing the events of my story as a heart rate monitor line on an uphill slope helps a lot. There are spikes, and there are dips, but the dips near the end must be at least as tall as the spikes at the beginning, and the spikes at the end should be the tallest overall. It helps keep everything in check without being boring at any given time. If it's not rocketing forward at a breakneck pace, it should at least be interesting. =)
ReplyDeleteThat's a very useful tip! Thanks for sharing it, Amanda. :-)
ReplyDelete