We all know the famous story of the tortoise and the hare.

And that story all comes down to one thing.

Pacing.

The pacing of your novel is a biggie. And I think one of the harder aspects of writing to get right. But that’s for another day.

I want to talk about the pacing of your writing process. How fast do you go from idea, to prewriting, to writing, to revising, to querying? Because just like the rabbit, if we rush through the process, I think we’ll be barbecuing and drinking lemonade with the hare. (And I have it on good authority, he likes lemonade.)

Do you take that glorious, brilliant, shining-like-the-sun idea and jump in feet first? I love flashy new ideas but I always have to check it against what I’ve read recently. Aspects of my favorite novels tend to creep in. And we’re looking to be unique, right?

That’s why I like to brainstorm and plot a new story while I’m revising a different one. I need time. To brainstorm 5, 10, 15, 20 ideas to find the version I absolutely love.

Am I the only one on this? I’ve had to learn to write more/faster but slow down certain aspects of the overall process. Or can we go too slow?

Pacing. So, who are you? The tortoise or the hare? Have you found the right balance?