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About the author and blogger ...

Anne Goodwin’s drive to understand what makes people tick led to a career in clinical psychology. That same curiosity now powers her fiction.
A prize-winning short-story writer, she has published three novels and a short story collection with small independent press, Inspired Quill. Her debut novel, Sugar and Snails, was shortlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize.
Away from her desk, Anne guides book-loving walkers through the Derbyshire landscape that inspired Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.
Subscribers to her newsletter can download a free e-book of award-winning short stories.

TELL ME MORE

Walk or gallop? The question of pace.

28/2/2016

19 Comments

 
Walk. Trot. Canter. Gallop. Each of these words conjures up precisely both the speed and style of movement of the horse.

On a writing course once we were tasked with finding as many possible ways of replacing the word entered in the phrase She entered the room. I might never get the chance to use She hopscotched into the room in a piece of fiction, but I learnt something in thinking it up.
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In the critique of my prize-winning short story (ah, the satisfaction of writing that) A Daughter Your Age, the adjudicator said The story unfolds at a crisp pace, making this a breakneck journey into terror. Interestingly to me, because I tend to think of editing in terms of cuts, the final draft of that story was about a hundred words longer than the first. The ending in particular had to be stretched out ever so slightly as, in the original, the twist was a little too abrupt. (If you haven’t already, you can read about the real story behind this particular story in this post.)

As writers, we know that in fiction and in creative non-fiction narrative time does not have to follow  chronological time. Five years can be summarised in a sentence; five minutes can be stretched out over a whole chapter or short story. Pace draws attention to what’s important and cranks up the tension, but that doesn’t only apply to the obviously exciting incidents. A skilled writer can spend ten pages on a character getting out of bed.

But it is hard to get the pace right. As readers and writers we have different preferences and needs. Although I’m not a great fan of the page-turning thriller, it’s not unusual in my reviews to find me bemoaning a slow pace.

Right now, I’m having problems with the pace of my reading. Over thirty books in the first two months; if I carry on at this rate I have read a hundred and eighty books in the year. Not that I begrudge the reading, but I’m having a problem squeezing in my reviews. I’ve been experimenting with writing shorter accounts with a couple of books in each post. I’d be interested to hear whether this pace is working for you.
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Thirteen books reviewed in February; if you’ve missed any, you can catch up by clicking on the image. It’s sheer serendipity that it’s been a month of philosophising about identity and that almost a quarter of the novels are published by independent press Sandstone. (If you’d like to support the indies and you can get yourself to Leicester, there’s a great free festival States of Independence on 12 March.
Also worth mentioning, I’ve got a post coming on the contemporary small press blog later this week.)

I’m sure writing flash fiction is helping me the economical with my words in my longer works. And, guess what? This week’s prompt is to write a 99-word story about galloping. After a fairly sluggish period, I had an extremely productive time last week, producing first drafts of three short stories that had been fermenting in my mind for some years. It can feel so inspiring when your brain is buzzing with ideas, but it can be hard to settle to a pace that doesn’t burn you out. That’s a challenge for all of us to a degree, but especially so for those living with bipolar disorder. It’s also been a problem for the character in Jamie Mollart’s debut novel, The Zoo (incidentally, another from Sandstone). I’ve drawn on all those themes for my flash, as well as drawing on Lily King’s take on the euphoria of creativity, with a touch of neurodiversity:

Galloping mind

Synapses ablaze, ideas breed ideas, plans spawn plans. Brain fresh as a daisy, head clear as a bell, pardon my cliché, but I’ve got to move on. No time to eat and sleep is for wimps; lying down is like pressing the accelerator pedal on my mind. Migrant crisis? World peace? Global warming? Got them sorted before breakfast, with the Man-Booker and Nobel prizes in the bag.

Then wham! Floored! As if they’ve pulled the plug on my vitality, wiped my hard drive. Do I want tea or coffee? Leave me alone, that’s too hard to decide.

Thanks for reading. I'd love to know what you think. If you've enjoyed this post, you might like to sign up via the sidebar for regular email updates and/or my quarterly Newsletter.
19 Comments
geoff link
28/2/2016 11:28:08 pm

Pacing is tough and flash has helped me bot with economy and pacing. I'd say combining reviews can work if the works truly merit complimentary consideration. Yours are always a breeze to read and understand anyway. And you flash is neatly done with a nice twist to which I'm sure we can all relate.

Reply
Annecdotist
1/3/2016 09:52:11 am

Thanks, Geoff, I think sometimes the links between my reviews in the post are somewhat tenuous, but I do enjoy finding them. It makes me think of the "compare and contrast" essays we did at school, although if I've enjoyed one novel significantly more than another I don't like to push this too far (obviously while still being honest in my opinions).

Reply
Sarah link
29/2/2016 07:03:15 am

This is a brilliant tie-in to the prompt of galloping and fantastic flash. A racing mind. *cringe* Decisions are too much... As you know, I love that short story and the pacing was perfect.

Reply
irene Waters link
29/2/2016 11:25:23 am

Hope Sarah doesn't mind sharing her space but for some reason I was prevented from commenting in a separate box. You are an inspiration in your ability to read Anne. 180 books in a year is just mind boggling. I can understand your difficulty finding time to review them all. You are right about the importance of time and sometimes it can be the making or breaking of a narrative. Loved your flash and its galloping pace until the decision to have tea or coffee.

Reply
Annecdotist
1/3/2016 09:58:47 am

Sorry you had difficulty posting, Irene, and thanks for persevering – I'm sure Sarah won't mind you sharing her space.
Hopefully my reading rate will slow down and I won't read as many as 180 books this year, as my 'keep' shelf is already half full.
I think it just shows what a competitive and saturated market publishing can be, when even if I get to 180 there'll still be good novels I'll miss.

Annecdotist
1/3/2016 09:54:07 am

Thanks, Sarah – so much stuff in my brain, decisions are often tricky at the best of times!

Reply
Charli Mills
2/3/2016 06:26:07 am

I've come to appreciate your reviews because somehow I feel I'm tapped into what's fresh and happening in the literary scene. Somehow my own reading prowess has diminished over time, so I like your pace. Combining has worked for me as a reader. I'll return to read your short story (congrats on the award if I missed that earlier). Knowing what it's like to live with buzzing ideas, I can relate to the first part. I like to connect them and create something out of them, but in reality I don't think I have enough time in my life for it all! I like the pacing and continuation of exploring neurodiversity, too!

Reply
Annecdotist
2/3/2016 08:10:33 am

Thanks Charli, maybe my book count is up because I'm creating on your behalf! Though I feel for you not having enough reading time, we can't do everything, as you so rightly say.

Reply
Lisa Reiter link
2/3/2016 03:02:27 pm

Hi Anne
I love flash for all the lesson's it helps teach about Hemingway-esk brevity. Yours here describes the state of my brain on many an occasion though I'm not bipolar - more undisciplined.
"..lying down is like pressing the accelerator pedal on my mind" - Had to laugh - I daren't work too late or the damn thing gets jammed on and I don't sleep. I'm not a morning person at all which is a pain but I'm having to try it so there's switch-off time left at the end of the day.
As for reviews. I know you craft these with a good deal of care and consideration and are not over-wordy. The value for me, is in part that it's the opinion of someone I 'know'. Personally I would like a clearer 'rating'. You could include as many books in a post as you wanted then but I'd be drawn to winners and losers and deciding whether your reasons would marry with my one preferences - and therefore whether I should buy the book or not!
I hope that makes sense. Just make sure you're leaving space for more prize winning writing!
Lisa xx

Reply
Annecdotist
3/3/2016 12:00:48 pm

Actually, I rarely work or go online in the evenings for that very reason. I don’t mind – in fact I quite relish – a few ideas buzzing around about the next day’s writing as I’m drifting into sleep, but too much and I can’t settle. (And I do prioritise sleep.) In fact, the evenings are when I get the majority of my reading done.
Thanks for that feedback about the reviews. I am trying to keep them tight with the option for the occasional ramble. I take your point about the ratings, and a lot of book bloggers do tend to have a scoring system, but I’m not too keen on including that on my blog where it’s more about discussion. Although I do usually adhere to the star-system on goodreads, where I post links to all my reviews. I think that feels better because my ratings can be viewed there in the context of others. I know that a couple of times Sarah especially has asked me to clarify did I like a particular book or not! Happy to do this when it’s not clear.

Reply
Lisa Reiter link
4/3/2016 10:02:57 am

Thanks Anne - I can always ask that on Twitter without compromising the richness of discussion here 😘

Rowena link
4/3/2016 08:31:31 am

Great flash, Anne and I love the name of your blog. Very clever.
I so related to your flash. I frequently experience what I call writer's overdrive and can write at a phenomenal rate and cover all those issues as well.
This is a good opportunity to share what I believe is a serious issue for the mental health of creative people...overstimulating the creative brain.
There is so much talk about writer's blocj and how to overcome it but I seriously believe that if people who experience overdrive implement these strategies, they could well be playing with explosives. Heading for meltdown. I have had a lot of personal experience of neuroplasticity due to a neurological condition and if you keep pressing the same button over and over again, you do restructure the brain. I am intending to write a post about this but your flash seemed like a good opportunity to share and I'd be interested in your thoughts xx Rowena

Reply
Annecdotist
4/3/2016 02:32:53 pm

Thanks for visiting and sharing your perspective, Rowena. That's a really important point how we worry perhaps unduly about our sluggish periods but don't acknowledge as much the risks of overstimulation. I wonder if you saw my review (or anyone else's) of the novel Superabundance which seems to address that very theme? I'd certainly be interested to read your post, so please flag me when it's up!

Reply
Jeanne Lombardo link
4/3/2016 02:34:44 pm

You are indeed a model of efficiency and skill, Anne. That is indeed a breakneck schedule of reading. As for including several books in one review, it could work if you employ the economy you speak of, though I find your posts so rich and nuanced I think it would be a challenge (maybe a good one....) And the flash was great, drawing out that old theme of thoughts galloping through the mind but reining it all in so adroitly at the end. Well done.

Reply
Annecdotist
4/3/2016 02:40:38 pm

Thanks for your comment, Jeanne, and major apologies that I inadvertently deleted it and – there being no procedure with this blog for recovering deleted comments – I had to repost it on your behalf (though I wonder if people will see the giveaway blue bar and think I'm praising myself.)
Hopefully all this reading won't break my neck and I certainly only intend to combine the short reviews as I'm not so keen on longer posts.

Reply
Roger link
6/3/2016 09:25:49 pm

"lying down is like pressing the accelerator pedal on my mind." Loved the words!

Reply
Annecdotist
8/3/2016 10:58:15 am

Thanks, Roger.

Reply
Norah Colvin link
10/3/2016 11:20:49 am

Your reading and writing prowess never ceases to amaze me. I am in awe of your talent.
I love your book reviews. I have even used them as the basis for choosing books to read, as you know. In fact I have downloaded one by Rupert Thomson this evening! It is next in line to read. I like the way you discuss the books, as if we were were having a chat and you were giving your opinion on them as opposed to giving a formal book report. I also appreciate that you add the links to other posts. Sometimes I remember the linked post and don't follow the link, other times I follow and get something more out of a post I've already read, and other times I follow a link to something I've missed. I always appreciate that!
For me, your approximately twice weekly posting schedule is usually just right. More than that and I have no way of keeping up. Sometimes I even have trouble keeping up with two, but I do try to catch up when I can as I enjoy them so.
Your flash. Brilliant. Quite an accurate refection on the duality of bipolar, the extremes of which creatives are often only a breath away from. Blah! What sort of sentence is that? Sorry. But I know what I mean. :) I certainly loathe those nights when I can't sleep for the ideas buzzing in my head. Loathe even more the mornings when I awaken and the ideas have deserted me.

Reply
Annecdotist
10/3/2016 02:37:31 pm

Thanks for keeping up with the pace, Norah, and for your generous comments. I think twice a week blog posts as you do is about right but I probably slip in an extra one with so many books to read. I know you don’t like to miss anything but I don’t want to be the cause of your collapse through galloping mind syndrome – I’ll always nudge you if I think you’ve missed something out of the usual run of things.
I’m so glad you enjoy my reviews. Sometimes I do feel am not doing it right because there is no consistent approach – other than sounding off about what strikes me about the book. I’m looking forward to your feedback on Rupert Thomson’s novel.
Yeah, those buzzing ideas. I do think the good ones come back, but it can be strange sometimes knowing you’ve had a surplus at one point and then your mind is a complete blank the next. That’s when I know I have to take myself out for a walk.

Reply



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