One of my constant challenges as a writer is knowing when to narrate instead of dramatize--that is, when, instead of a full scene or dialogue exchange, to just *tell it to the reader in a sentence*.
Usually I write the scene first and then groan and realize the pacing actually calls for a quick line of narrative instead. It feels great to get the pacing right, I just wish I knew before writing the scene.
Buuuuuut, I don't know till I know. Having written the scene first I guess is what enables me to condense it down to a line.
And so my document of cut text grows longer and my manuscript shorter. And also, one hopes, *better*. 😊😊
(I was writing my 3rd book before I was able to articulate to myself the distinction between narrating and dramatizing, which seems like, duh, but there's a lot of writing stuff like that--it's instinctive but we can shape it better the more aware we are.)
(It was Arthur Levine, the publisher and editor of Lips Touch, making a simple editorial note--"maybe this should be dramatized"--that made me aware. One of those big little epiphanies where you can't believe you never thought of a thing before. 😊)
(The moment was I believe Esme's first kiss at the end of Hatchling. With Tom on the bench in St James Park. I haven't read Hatchling in forever! Have you read it??)
Hatchling is the longest of the three stories in Lips Touch, my third book, which was a National Book Award finalist!! It's gorgeously illustrated by @jimdibartolo and here's a glimpse: 
(Hatchling was an important precursor for me to Daughter of Smoke & Bone. They're unrelated, but after Hatchling I knew I wanted to do something with the same magical feel and dense mythos, but BIGGER. So I did! ❤)
(This is also why editors are awesome! THEY KNOW THESE THINGS. ⭐️⭐️⭐️)
