Getting your pace right can be the difference between making your readers fall off their chair or making them fall off to sleep...
Your story pace is how you keep up the tempo of the plot with character interactions, length of descriptions, and dialogue. It's generally a good idea to try and keep your story pace up, as this keeps readers engaged and interested in what's going to happen next!
A slow, bulky chunk of unrelated description will make your readers yawn and move on to another book that will grab their attention. For example you wouldn't include three paragraphs describing the way the sky looks halfway through a high action fight scene. It may seem like obvious advice but take a look back through your last draft. Identify any sections you could easily remove and the story around it would still make complete sense, and then remove that section or rewrite it to be more concise and to the point.
Top Tip: Description is important as it helps the reader better visualise the situation in your book. But details aren't always necessary. Remember - if you're introducing your main character's cat for a whole chapter but we don't ever see the cat again in the rest of the book, then don't waste your words on the cat (unless it's very cute)!
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5 TOP TIPS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT: WATTYS2017
Non-Fiction5 tips to make sure your work is sparkling and perfect before it gets anywhere near your readers and the #Wattys2017 judges!
