This question of whether or not my novel is too short is plaguing me. I know what matters most is that it’s good, but I also know I can be a little harsh with the editing.
So I re-read the whole thing and did notice that it feels a bit truncated in spots.
Then I re-read the beginning of some of my favorite books and I noticed their pacing. I read Winter’s Bone, A Thousand Acres, and White Oleander, (and I started Wild Girls – which so far is awesome), and they all have very even pacing. They move along steadily, but without hurry. They don’t feel clipped. Instead they feel like they have all the time in the world. They draw you in. The first paragraph of Winter’s Bone is about hanging meat, but by page three you know the whole family history and have a pretty good sense of what that poor girl is up against. Even pacing, and amazing concision of ideas.
So I’m retracting my statements that my draft is almost done. The pieces are all in the right place, and I’ve cut everything I don’t need, but I’m going to take one more pass to fill in those places where the pages feel a little thin. I’m going to let the belt out a little and not worry about trimming for a change. I’m going to luxuriate in painting the scenes a bit more. Not too much, just a bit.
All I can do is give it a shot and see how it reads when I’m done.
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