In novel writing, pacing is a critical tool in your writer’s box of tricks. If the pacing is too slow, it drags out the action, interferes or eliminates any tension or suspense you were trying to build and makes a story boring.
Some things that might slow down your pacing:
1. Superfluous
dialogue: Common examples would be when one character meets another character
and a lot of words and time are wasted on the “hellos, how are you, blah,
blah,” or the good byes. Cut to the point of the conversation. “Did the jury reach a verdict?” “Did the doctor call?”
2. Long descriptions on setting: We need to know the
specifics, but not every minutia of the setting. Telling us the Victorian house
was surrounded by Lilac bushes and the sweet smell filled the front rooms
gives us specific details. Victorian
house, Lilac bushes and it introduces a smell. Telling us when and where the
Lilac bushes were bought, their height and width, how often they bloom or are
fertilized is not vital information unless that somehow reveals
character or will play in to the plot.
3. Info dumps: Be sparing and discriminating when telling
the backstory or reminiscing. Too many paragraphs or pages of information can
be boring and slows down the story’s pace. Try to weave in the crucial details throughout the story.
4. Not enough plot: This can cause the writer to meander and
use fillers getting the writer further away from the plot. The answer could be
more subplots. This will also help your characterization by giving them more
depth and making them more three dimensional.
5. Too much time
inside your character's head: When we read pages and pages of your character's
thoughts and feelings, there is no action. It's important to know what your character is thinking and feeling in
order to learn their motivation, but be mindful of how long the reader is
inside their head.
6. Timing: When we spend time on a scene or specific detail,
we are telling the readers, this is significant.
We are shining a light on it, pay attention to it. Be aware of this when you
are editing, cut those long scenes of description or even dialogue if it’s not essential to the plot of character
development.
Your story’s pacing is the right amount of dialogue,
information, action and plotting.
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