How to pace well

TheBryceKrispy 2018-07-19 12:39:10 UTC #1

How would you write good pacing in fiction? What are some good examples of Good pacing in fiction and some bad examples in fiction?

libs 2018-07-19 15:17:21 UTC #2

Story moves forward with action and events. Slow it down with details and information.

Balance it out. Make people curious. And please don't disappoint the readers with anticlimactic outcomes.

In my case, my comic is an action comedy. So I try to make it fast and exciting.

some good writers: Ernest Hemingway, Chuck Palahniuk

and https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PacingProblems explains some examples of bad pacing. I suggest you give it a read.

qwerty 2018-07-19 15:56:53 UTC #3

One tip is to follow intense action with slower, more relaxed scenes. If you just go, go, go all the time with intense action and drama you might wear the reader out; likewise if the story is relaxed too much without conflict then it tends to quickly get boring.

An example that comes to mind is the movie "Spirited Away" (one of my favorites :)). If you haven't seen it I wouldn't want to spoil anything (watch it! watch it!) but one of the most intense parts of the story is followed by the famous "train scene", where for 2-3 minutes there is nothing but the characters sitting on a train with wondrously beautiful scenery and music. The contrast from the frantic running around that was happening just a couple minutes before really helps to highlight the tranquility of it, and it also gives the viewers some "mental recovery time".

rmdooley 2018-07-19 16:09:55 UTC #4

DiegoPalacios 2018-07-19 19:00:31 UTC #5

This is what i recommend:

For every update, you need to ask these questions:

1-It is relevant?: this can be relevant for the current plot, for character development, introducing important elements for the future, foreshadowing, etc...

2-It is entertaining?: this can be in many forms, funny and comedic, a hearthwarming or moving moment that makes people cry, some badass moment of awesomeness, and even, some horror if it fits your story. There are many ways to make a scene interesting. It can be through dialogue, character dynamics or the events happening.

Your goal is to be able to answer yes to both questions. Every once in a while you could answer yes to only one of these. But too much irrelevance or too much boringness can be detrimental.
If the answer of both questions is no. Then that update can be skipped.

Hope this helps!

DokiDokiTsuna 2018-07-20 02:26:36 UTC #6

Pacing is all about keeping the reader interested in what's about to happen next, making sure that the action is evenly spaced, and (my personal tip) always giving more information. Unless your story is slice of life, you really want to avoid having things just "happen". Every event should reveal something new about either your story or your characters.
If you're in a slow, non-action part of your story, that's the best time to be thinking about how to round it out. What should the reader know about the characters or the world that you haven't gotten a chance to explain yet? Try to work that info into casual conversation, or even the narrator's dialogue. This will help your "boring" parts to stay interesting, and create a foundation for the action parts so that they can flow freely without being interrupted by explanations.