We define pacing as the art of thinking as we write--that is, to write as quickly or as slowly as we think. There is a dogma which states that pacing, because it acts at the speed of our thoughts, means slowing down. Such dogma ignores the idea of quick thinking on the part of the writer--or the idea, altogether, that writers are people who can think quickly. Here, I am going to introduce the idea that thinking quickly has its own rhythm to it and that thinking quickly is just as important as thinking slowly.
In writing, particularly in indie writing, we tell each other that writing is a labor of love and that slow writing is good writing. We also say that drafting, the product of slow thinking, is a necessary burden for the blossoming writer. Drafting, of course, has its good points--namely that it makes us more careful writers. Its bad points, of course, are that it can lead us to overthink and, by overthinking, challenge things that do not need to be challenged or revised.
The point of this essay is not to argue that revisions are necessary or that we should all submit the first draft. Such a thought would lead to a literary industry that is saturated with first drafts--things that need revision. The point of this essay is to explore the idea that we, in chasing a perfection that is ultimately unattainable, overanalyze and over-edit. Yes, writing becomes beautiful by being perfected. That is indisputable. There is, however, a difference between analyzing and overanalyzing, editing and overediting. Editing perfects what you are writing or place it on the path to perfection. Overediting strips a piece of its literary brilliance and then ultimately leaves a bland thing on the table, ready for and used to perfection.
If there is any kind of takeaway to this article, it is not to criticize and alienate but to show kindness to your own writing--and in your own writing a form of kindness to others.
