Dear potential author,
Pacing your novel is extremely important. Without the correct pacing, your novel will be
boring. I repeat. It will be
boring.
Keeping the
reader's attention
Keeping your reader's attention is vital if
you want to compete in today's market. Setting the correct pace in the
beginning will ensure they stick around until the end.
E.g
James walks the dog. He meets Sally. Returning he makes himself a cup of coffee.
Rewrite – “Rover!” James howler.
“Come, boy, we are running late.”
Rover’s nails make scratching sounds on the
tiles as he rounds the corner. James smiles
as he obediently sits in front of him.
Tail wagging. “Are you ready?” Woof.
Woof. James tie the harness around
his quivering body and heads out.
“Hallo Sally.” He greets his next-door neighbour when he
reached the sidewalk.
“Oh.
Hi James.”
She pats Rovers head. “Hi Rover.”
Woof. Woof. Rover barks excited and licks her hand. “Are you two off again?”
“Why don’t you join us?”
She smiled polite . “Maybe next time.”
Internally, James sighs. You
always say that, but someday you will say yes.
“See you Sally.”
“Bye James.
Bye Rover.”
Can you see the difference? No, it’s not that there are more sentences. I added sound, visual and touch/feel.
What is pacing?
Pacing is the speed at which the novel start
and end. It’s a bit like climbing a
mountain, driving a car or just ordinary life.
You don’t experience it the same every day. Some days are easy others are filled with
drama.
Ways to
implement pacing
There are a couple of ways to implement
pacing .
Action – war,
fighting, hijackings, rivalry, life or death, flat tire. I think you get the picture.
Cliff hanger –Try to leave your reader with an unanswered question, a revelation
or at the end of a chapter. But for Pete’s
sake. Don’t do it at the end of the
novel. That will royally tick of the
reader, including me.
Dialogue –This is
where pacing gets propelled. It is the
fuel of good novels. Dialogue in novels
is no different than dialogue in real life.
Flashbacks – mainly
for past tense use or plot development, but great for pacing if used correctly.
Scene or view changes – dreams, character viewpoints, different places.
Short chapters – honestly, this is very important.
Short chapters make the overall feel of the novel better. Reads better and helps the novel move along.
Show, don’t tell – it is quite easy to fall into the habit of telling rather than showing. Think movies when you are writing.
Sound – Sound will
assist any action or scene in increasing pace. Remember what I said about showing.
Suspense/prolonged outcome –This is a page-turner. Caren
gets a flat tire in the desert. The
spare tire is also flat. There is no cell
phone reception in this part. She has a bottle
of water, which won’t last her long.
What will happen to her? Readers
want something to make them turn the pages.
Ask questions like. Why is the
tire flat? It is all about revealing it
slowly but surely. Just like a strip tease. J Sorry I am visual. I could use an onion for example, but it
wouldn’t have the same effect.
Proper pacing
Proper pacing is difficult at first. It
is a bit like riding a roller coaster. You will have your ups and downs. To properly pace your novel, you will have to
build it in layers like an onion. How
are you going to do that? By using questions, of course.
E.g. Sue goes to town.
What
is the best thing that can happen?
- · She wins the lottery
- Meets a long lost friend.
What
is the worst thing that can happen?
- · She left her wallet at home.
- · Makes a car accident.
- · Gets an speeding ticket
- · Gets kidnapped.
How to speed up or slow down pacing?
Slow
pacing is all about the description. In other
words. Detail.
Speeding
pacing up is as easy as pie. You need to
use shorter sentences, even one word will do.
E.g - Kelly
and Richard navigate their way down to the base of the mountain.
“Lovely.” Kelly commented as her eyes swept over the
landscape.
“Not
as lovely as you.” He added. (It’s cheesy, but bear with me.)
Growl!
“What
was that?” Kelly asked, glancing
sideways. Richard followed her
direction. “Mountain lion.” She whispered.
“Get
into the tree!” He snapped.
“What
about you?”
“Just
do it!” Slowly he lowered his pack. Took out a metal cup and plate. God, I hope
this works.
Bang-bang-bang-bang! He beats them together.
Growl! The lion roared frightened, before running in the other
direction.
What I did here was the following:
My
pacing was slow. Then I added sound to
speed it up and down. I am a firm believer
in showing, not telling.
I
think you will find this blog informative.
At least I hope you do.
Until
next time,
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