Pacing

[Nerds_feather]

I'm sure we'd all agree that how one paces a story serves as a major element in how successful a given project is (or will be). Now I like both fast and slower-paced novels, provided the pace fits what the author is trying to do.

But how do you get it right? What do you do, either in the planning, writing or editing phases, to address the issue of pace? What are some of the pitfalls or recurrent issues you face or have faced with regards pace and pacing?

 

[thaddeus6th]

In planning I write chapter outlines, and use italics and bold to indicate sections that are storyline critical or violent/exciting. I try to avoid overloading one section with violence, or having too little, and likewise important story stuff.

I've cocked this up for my current WIP (Kingdom Asunder) which is too slow early on and has too much going on near the back end. I'll try and alter this through a complex process of rejiggification. The story broadly follows two lines (the royal and regency armies) so I'll change the balance to slow down and speed up the pace as necessary.

With the exception of my comedy, I think I've started things perhaps a shade slowly, so I'll try and correct that. It's easy to infodump near the start.

 

[Nerds_feather]

I've heard that the less-well-known you are, the better served you are by starting with a "bang," so to speak (which, of course, can be either an arresting scene or a clear statement of what the book is about).

 

[Phyrebrat]

I think it depends on the genre in which you're writing and the requirements of the tale you're telling.

One thing that tends to get me eye-rolling is the whole bang up front (oo-er ) writing-by-numbers technique. I think that if your first character(s) introduction is interesting enough and the promise you make to the reader is interesting enough, then you can afford to be a little slower paced. These days I notice a difficulty to understand the difference between a screenplay and a novel with some writers. TV Shows especially, nowadays, often have a five-ten minute dramatic/action leader prior to the opening credits, and I think a lot of would-be writers think this is a base-line requirement for their story, too.

Having said that, I do believe you need to aim for some kind of hook. Whether that be interesting character, wit, shock, some form of nebulous intrigue, or other.

Pacing should be organic to the story, rather than forced, and how well you know your characters will usually dictate this, IMO.

I listen to a lot of podcasts (one of my favourites is Writing Excuses) and one interesting thing they answered recently was if you are meant to include the prologue if you are asked to submit the first 3 chapters of your MS by an editor/publisher. They said treat it as if it is a chapter, and if it isn't strictly germane to the plot of your story, you should reconsider why it is even there.

To my mind it is insane that anyone would submit an MS with an optional prologue at the beginning. Why limit yourself with something that may, in truth, be pure self-indulgence.

pH

 

[Nerds_feather]

Pyrebat - don't get me wrong, I love slow pace done right! And I think your framing it in terms of a "hook" is the better way of putting it. What's needed is something to draw the reader in and keep his or her attention. This can be an action scene, a puzzle, an arresting bit of character development or any number of other ways.

 

[Hex]

This is a really interesting question and something I struggle with, particularly if I'm trying to think about it!

I find it difficult to distinguish between "slow-paced" but involving novels, and fast-paced ones -- as long as it keeps my attention, I'm happy (which I think you've said above in any case).

In terms of technique, I think, for me, this is one of those things where you write the story and then come back and see if it works.

I'm working on a collaboration just now, and I am aware that I keep wanting to push through to the next action scene, but my collaborator, who is a much more experienced (and better) writer, is sometimes keen to stop me charging off and instead give the characters a change to breathe and explain something to the reader.

I think it's often personal, though. I watched a talk by Megan Whalen Turner, who's a hugely popular author of YA fantasy (I think it was in the Brandon Sanderson stuff). She was talking about slowing the pace and about how she set out to do it very deliberately. I found the book hard to read -- in fact it's sitting, half-read on my bookshelf because the slow bits completely lost me.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Yes, NF I agree 100% with that (and apologies, I didn't mean to accuse you of needing the instant Red Bull narrative bang ).

Edit: As per Hex's comment, I've also tweaked a couple of story openings to be more engaging after I've finished them. It has helped because sometimes you realise there can be an almost-thesis question at the beginning when you've finished your story and know what it is actually about in terms of themes.

pH

 

[millymollymo]

Starts with a bang. Great. Nothing worse than a unresolved or dragging hook, it scratches everything up. Lose interest while the author is trying to weave in the other stuff. Still waiting by chapter five? The pacing is off.

Rich, developed, (strong?) believable characters that I invest in. Ok. Great. Now what? Get to the point, give me hooks! Still waiting by chapter five? The pacing is off.

Fun isn't it? :/

 

[M Harold Page]

I think pacing often isn't what people think it is. Explosions and ninja attacks can still be slow paced if they aren't part of a rhythm of reversals and conflict. The same goes for a big set piece at the start if it doesn't kick off a conflict.

Sometimes a story can be low on action but very fast paced in terms of move and countermove piling on. A good example is the film Lives of Others where not a lot happened very quickly, but the story still drew you onward.

There's also the issue of hammering the reader with too much action scene after scene. A common technique - used by Jim Butcher, for example, is to have a scene where stuff happens, then follow it with a scene where people work out what to do next.

 

[Brian G Turner]

IMO the big problem is that writers too often look to external events to provide tension, when ideally this should be supplied through the internal character experience.

Which means that pace becomes determined less by external events as much as how that character grapples with a problem.

Yes, there are going to be adrenaline-fuelled moments - but IMO a sense of tension should already exist within the reader, so that they do not want to put the book down.

And that is simply driven by that character conflict. Which IMO is where the actual pacing is.

 

[Nerds_feather]

IMO the big problem is that writers too often look to external events to provide tension, when ideally this should be supplied through the internal character experience.

Which means that pace becomes determined less by external events as much as how that character grapples with a problem.

Yes, there are going to be adrenaline-fuelled moments - but IMO a sense of tension should already exist within the reader, so that they do not want to put the book down.

And that is simply driven by that character conflict. Which IMO is where the actual pacing is.

Too much action can have a numbing effect as well.

 

[M Harold Page]

Not so much "internal character experience" as implications we can empathise with, those implications driving further conflict.

 

[Foxbat]

Pacing should be organic to the story, rather than forced, and how well you know your characters will usually dictate this, IMO.

I agree with this - at least for me. Probably different for other folks but, hey, Vive La Difference

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I'm getting to final edits of one of my books. Bear in mind this is a YA action story. I've been cutting long exposition, by request, and keeping the pace up. Making sure each chapter end asks a question to read on for (note, not always a cliffhanger.)

My beginning, though, is not bang-bang-bang. It starts in a house with a conversation between a brother and sister. But the conversation asks questions - what's happened? Why might they be desperate enough to think about stewing a cat? Why are there aliens in the lough? Why have they no roof? It's done all through character experience, it's not fast but it moves through the scene without too much exposition and shows rather than tells a lot.

I have another book I'm working on where slow pacing has consistently been a problem, identified by betas right from the start, and I can see why - the story started at the right place, yes, but it went too fast, leaving me telling back story ( that old exposition) in scenes where showing would be better. Currently, I'm adding in a new section that allows me to show most.

So, pace, yes. But also storytelling - when, how, who, where.

And then there's the trilogy - it has more room to breathe, a little more introspection, more world building but it still has to fight against getting bogged down. And its mc loves exposition and thinking, lots. So in this case, the secondary characters keep the pace up and allow the odd slow down.

I don't think all this can be achieved by internal conflict ( which has the danger of introspection) -
I think something external can be useful to drive the story. In fact, a book built entirely on internal conflict would send me to sleep, I'm afraid.

 

[alchemist]

In the two novels I've completed, I aimed to start with mostly slow scenes punctuated by faster ones, and progress towards an end with mostly faster scenes punctuated by slow ones. The climax (before the epilogue) is four action chapters.

A trickier issue has been with my two POV characters when they're in different places. Do I finish one characters scene before cutting to the other character, or cut to POV 2 mid-action to leave the reader guessing? And I've done both.

 

[Kissmequick]

At the best, internal and external conflicts should collide

Internally he needs X

Externally, Y will happen

X and Y are mutually exclusive


Not all plots go that ofc, but is is a thing to think about.

Example I once write a book where a man's oath meant giving up his soul. MC oathed to King. MC the falls in love with king's proposed wife

So, he either upholds his oath (keeps his oath/soul) or...

The conflict should be both external and internal, ideally (but not always)

 

[tinkerdan]

Sometimes pacing can be influenced by the voice.

By that I mean that the POV character has a specific voice ideally unique to that character and that might determine the pace of the narrative.

This includes the mood that you set for the scene and even a bit of how close you want the reader to get to the character. This is useful for spots where you might want to slow things down in the pace for the reader after another spot of excitement. Or maybe where you are transitioning from one scene to another and have something important that the readers needs to know that might fall into a frame somewhere where you need a change in pace.

The writer just has to remember to ease the reader in and out of those in steps that don't trip the reader up.

 

[MatterSack]

IMO, the only single thing of importance when it comes to pacing is this: every scene must result in development. Development of the characters and/or conflict(s). There must be progress on a regular basis, as the reader needs to be rewarded for their investment.