Writing Picking Your Pace in Writing

[LeilaniOtter]

I had one of my followers approach me about their concerns rushing a scene; doing too much too fast and not really developing a good pace for the scene. And if I'm honest, a lot of the work I've read and reviewed here fall into pacing problems - either too fast or too slow.

So I'd like to briefly explain what a good pace should do. it's not something you can just write; you have to feel it, almost like you're watching it "play" out in your mind. Your sense of timing is very important here.

it's really just a matter of filling in the details and allowing your characters to use their main senses. for instance, if it's a cold day, instead of just writing that it's a bitterly cold day, let your character use the senses that would indicate that bitterly cold day - Jack London does that to perfection with the short gem, "To Build A Fire". It's so easy to just write, "it was a bitterly cold day", and then get right to the character(s), the action, the plot. But it would feel a little rushed. So, take some time to get your characters using their senses - and this will let us, the readers, use our senses too.

Also, I want to include how much I love thoughts and internal struggles and dialogue.

for example:

Say your character is ready to battle an army on the other side of a long bridge over a river. Now, you could use some internal dialogue here for your character and talk about what they're thinking right now. Maybe this could even segue into a flashback where we get another plot point altogether or an origins story, then return to the battle.

Another thing I've noticed in my review that can hurt pacing is the lack of - or the inclusion of - descriptions. I'm not going to be too excited about a story featuring a magical forest if you just tell me it's a magical forest and run with that. *^^* Descriptions, even limited once, to set the setting, the time, the place, or something that the reader can grasp to, make all the difference, and aids in your pacing as well.

I hope this helps some of you.

 

[Hoshino]

Sometimes im too lazy.

 

[LeilaniOtter]

Sometimes im too lazy.

Me too. Sometimes I have to struggle to describe something, and I actually have to go away from the computer and just think about that one scene in my head, and take notes on everything, (using 5 senses) than come back to the computer and write. Google images is helpful too; like, if I wanted to describe a farmyard, I'd look for images of farmyards and write what I see.

 

[Joyager2]

Pacing is such a hard thing to master. It takes a lot of study and practice to really get a grip on it. These are some great tips.

 

[LeilaniOtter]

Pacing is such a hard thing to master. It takes a lot of study and practice to really get a grip on it. These are some great tips.

oh, thank you.

 

[LeilaniOtter]

I wanted to add a few other "pacing" tips to help folks.
For a fight scene, describe the aftermath, the wounds sustained, maybe checking the weapons, discussing the fight with others, etc.
For a high-sction scene, give your character(s) some time time to relax, contemplate, catch their breath, and you'll not only add to the pacing but deepen your character(s)
for a romantic scene, some hot and heavy dialogue, or an amusing interlude/discussion, or maybe some inner conflicts can be a great way to add to the scene.

Just don't put it all out there at once, give a reader a chance to savor your writing.