Ever read a scene in a book and feel this inkling that you’re
getting frustrated? It might come in the form of a desire to skip a sentence or
two, or maybe you find yourself counting the pages left before the end
of the chapter. Either way, you might not be experiencing a boring scene, it
could just be the delivery.
The disappointment I run into is when I buy a book because
the back cover blurb sounds like exactly the type story I would enjoy, but then
when reading it, I discover the pacing is off. I never really understood this
before, not until I took an online course at
Gotham Writer’s Workshop and found
out exactly what pacing means in a story, and how it can have a positive effect
on the reader’s satisfaction.
A pleasurable read for me is usually delivered
by an experienced writer. Yep, I’m going to go there. It’s much like having
sex. If your partner knows what they are doing, your ride is going to be
especially wonderful. An experienced writer will pace their story correctly, because they care about your experience as a reader, and they certainly won’t
have you getting all frustrated.
When to speed it up
Combat is not really my thing, but there are many readers
who probably enjoy it, especially if it’s done correctly, with the right verbs and
smooth pacing.
1. Don’t give blow by blows. Reading isn’t that
sort of visual thing like in an action movie. Sure, it looks cool when Trinity and Neo climb walls, seemingly void of any gravity, while shooting at the bad
guys. But, do you really have to give details of each bullet shot expelled from
their automatic weapons? NO.
2. If a guy gets hit and he’s not going to get up,
don’t have the reader waste their time with the drama of the guy hitting the
floor, knees first, taking a few steps in a slow crawl, and having dinner before he checks out. Just have him collapse and be done with it.
Concentrate your efforts where it will count.
Chases are scene transitions where a writer wants to get you
from one place to the next, whether it's a physical location or a plot point, and at the same time, make some movement on the page.
Don’t draw this one out. I've read chases where I had to scratch my head in wonderment, trying to figure out what it all meant. Sometimes I feel like the author was just trying to fill some pages with total disregard for my time and enjoyment.
1. Make the scene count. Don’t just have your
character run down the alley, turn the corner, and run some more. They do all
this running, finally encounter a bridge, jump onto the bank of
some body of water, and continue the run. Get us to our destination quickly, or break it up some. I don’t care if you have to put them on a boat and row to
their destination. At least you’ll have us thinking maybe they’ll run into a
giant anaconda.
2. A chase should lead to something big, not a dud.
There’s nothing like reading about someone being chased, and then at the end of
the chase, they are standing around going, “Gee, where’d they go? Oh well, I
guess I’ll just go home and make some coffee and forget this ever happened.” It's sort of like the No-resolution Resolution. Unless
something spooky or thrilling is going to happen at the end of it, stop with
the chases.
When to slow down
Story details surrounding the plot have to stick in our
minds or the story won’t make any sense to us when we need those details.
1. When you’re ready to reveal details which have
some meaning to the plot, slow it down. Focus on the detail so it is implanted
into the reader’s mind. Why? Because we don’t want to get into the story down
the road and miss these details. We want to have them secure and at the front
of our minds.
2. Dialogue is another area where details can be
revealed to readers. Dialogue helps make it stick. Readers love dialogue and
watching your characters converse back and forth, even during their normal, everyday
mundanity.
Character development is an important element in fiction
writing, especially in longer pieces like novels. The best way to take
advantage of this evolving element is to slow down the prose and use sensory
descriptions which produce visceral responses.
1. There are probably more, but I like to use the 8 senses. Your characters will come to life when you allow them to see, feel and
smell their environment. This is the best way to slow down the pace. I love it
when I read a scene and it feels as if I’m right there. This trick will help your
readers recall the experience, thereby remembering the details you feed them.
2. Visceral responses work in a similar way. It’s like
when you’re experiencing really strong emotions such as fear or anxiety. Doesn’t
it almost feel like everything slows, sometimes even to a complete halt? It’s
the same thing. When you share emotional responses through your characters, we
readers must slow down to hear the beating of their hearts, feel the sweat in
their palms, and smell the decaying corpses out to get them.
Anyway, that’s about all I have to say about pacing and the
pleasures I gain when it’s done really well. Until next time, lover! Keep
writing!
