Monday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

DEALING WITH PACING PROBLEMS

By: Jake Kerr

In writing terms, pacing means how quickly the reader perceives things as happening in a story. This is different from rhythm, which is more about how the reader perceives something as “sounding” as they read it. Pacing is most often discussed at the narrative level—the pace of a chapter and a novel as a whole.

Pacing, like any other tool in the writer’s toolbox, has no definitive correct or incorrect usage—just the RIGHT usage. It all depends on the author’s intent and the reader experience. The King of Elfland’s Daughter is a very slowly paced novel, but that does not mean it is weaker than a brisk fantasy like The Hunger Games.

While pacing itself is not right or wrong, its execution can be. Parts of a novel (or even the whole thing) can be paced too fast or too slow. Let’s look at some common problems:

“This book starts out too slow.”

This is a common pacing problem and can be due to one or more problems. Probably the most common reason for a slow start is that the narrative tension is introduced too late. This can be countered by the introduction of interesting characters who are engaging in and of themselves, but interesting characters only buy you so much time. Eventually you’ll need to get to the conflict that drives the plot. Take too long and you get pacing complaints.

Solutions here generally involve either introducing the conflict of the novel quicker within the scenes you already have or just starting later in the book. It is not uncommon for chapter three in my first draft to end up as chapter one in the final draft.

As I mentioned, another solution is to just make those earlier chapters more interesting, with vibrant characters and atmosphere. Note that this can actually make the problem worse. Adding lots of description to a slow chapter doesn’t exactly make it move quicker. So be careful.

“This section of the book is sooooo slow.”

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Read the full article HERE!

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If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:

1. Emerging Author? Distance Yourself from The Pack - Where Writers Win http://ow.ly/HTvFK
2. How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book: Take a Break from Words: How Image Boards Help Your Writing http://ow.ly/HTvJf
3. Craft of Writing: Dealing with Pacing Problems by Jake Kerr http://ow.ly/HTvLa
4. Facebook for Authors: Getting Started Guide | Jane Friedman http://ow.ly/HTvN8
5. showed me a cigarette lighter. said it was yours. | A couple tips to writing spies/spying into... http://ow.ly/HTvOK
6. The Kill Zone: Getting Started With Scrivener http://ow.ly/HTvPS
7. Ksenia Anske Books/Blog/How often should you blog and indulge in social media? http://ow.ly/HTwGI
8. Review Social Media for Authors Podcast - Social Media Just for Writers http://ow.ly/HTwJL
9. Do You Have an Unreasonable To-Do List? Here’s How to Fix It - The International Freelancer http://ow.ly/HTwOa
10. Reedsy: a Marketplace for Indie Writers - Elizabeth Spann Craig http://ow.ly/HTxqu
11. Divas on Dialogue: How to Write Dynamic Dialogue - Write Divas http://ow.ly/HTy79
12. 5 Mistakes to Avoid If You Want to Be a Successful Author http://ow.ly/HTy8p
13. Shape Your Story, Part Two: Summon the Elementary Teacher in Yourself | Writers' Rumpus http://ow.ly/HTyfD
14. How to Develop Your Characters | Swoon Reads http://ow.ly/HTywf
15. The Writing Café, Any tips for introducing a character? http://ow.ly/HTyE0
16. Build suspense with a ticking clock. - Venture Galleries http://ow.ly/HTyFJ
17. 10 Story Decisions Scifi And Fantasy Writers Ended Up Regretting http://ow.ly/HTzKK
18. How to Write Titles that Sell - Venture Galleries http://ow.ly/HTzN5
19. Three things every writer needs to stay in the game - Writers Write http://ow.ly/HTzPz
20. Start At The Beginning, Not Before « Flash Fiction Chronicles http://ow.ly/HTzTa
21. How to Promote Your Business With Instagram | Social Media Examiner http://ow.ly/HTzXr
22. Scrivener Advantages for Authors - Where Writers Win http://ow.ly/HTBsV
23. Premium WordPress Themes for Authors http://ow.ly/HTBA1
24. Why What You Don’t Like about Book Marketing Will Hurt Your Book | Warner CoachingWarner Coaching http://ow.ly/HTBOo
25. The Season of Kindle Unlimited Discontent | Indies Unlimited http://ow.ly/HTBRZ
26. Think Like a Publisher (and Release Your Inner Badass) http://ow.ly/HTP9D
27. A Quick Guide to Beta Reader Etiquette - Helping Writers Become Authors http://ow.ly/HTPEX
28. 5 things you don't want on your Book Cover - Author Zoo http://ow.ly/HTPRI
29. The Write One Blog – eBooks vs Print Books - Which makes more sense? http://ow.ly/HTQl8

Happy writing and running, Kathy