Slow burn or nah?

[A.Rica.A]

I am the only one who likes slow burn novels? Okay, I may not using the term right so let me explain. I like novels that takes long to develop. I get turned off by novels (especially romance) whose characters fall in love in chapter three and say I love you's in chapter five. I don't like the antagonist being defeated in three to five chapters. (As note, I also don't want the antagonist to always fail and be humiliated almost every chapter when they were supposed to be smart and cunning. This happens to almost all reincarnation/transmigration revenge stories. I also don't want the main characters to win against the antagonists. I don't want a supposed-to-be strong, independent MC to be always helped by prospective male leads when it was stated in the book that the female MC is not only strong and independent but is actually stronger than those prospective male leads).

Anyways, I'm straying out of topic here. My point is, I want slow burns but not slow slow burns. You get what I mean? Slow slow burns take twenty chapters for a subplot to develop and another couple chapters to be solved. It's like the subplot became the main plot because the main plot isn't even a real concern anymore.

My question is, do you guys like slow burns too or you prefer introduction-subplot-end of subplot-introduction-subplot-end of subplot kind of novel where the author just throws problems after problems at the MC? (Seriously, let the characters breath and take a break) If it's the latter, why? If it's the former, what's your "range" of chapters you expect for every subplot to be perfect and not be called boring?

I hope you understand my question.

[childofbooks]

I don't want a supposed-to-be strong, independent MC to be always helped by prospective male leads when it was stated in the book that the female MC is not only strong and independent but is actually stronger than those prospective male leads

CAN'T AGREE MORE!

Anyways, I'm straying out of topic here. My point is, I want slow burns but not slow slow burns. You get what I mean? Slow slow burns take twenty chapters for a subplot to develop and another couple chapters to be solved. It's like the subplot became the main plot because the main plot isn't even a real concern anymore.

Yeah, slow slow developing novels sometimes go off the track and focus too much on some side characters or minor events and that is usually where I might drop the story.

As for me, I like what's in between. Like I said slow burns might get boring and MC facing problems all the time is tiring. There should be an ideal length for each story where every subplot, every scene is just right. It should also end at the right time. I hate it when the story is forcefully extended with something like a car accident or memory loss or a new and unnecessary antagonist appearing.

[jacintolopeztr95]

It depends, there are authors that are so good at describing every little detail that doesn't matter to me if the novel takes its time.

[starless]

What genre they are in can make a difference I guess. In case of romance, viewer might be easily fed up about slow burn since their expectation is to watch characters falling in love. In case of fantasy, action or adventure, viewers can be patient because romance is not the story's main goal.

I mean like, She-ra is one of the greatest slow burns in history and you can't change my mind haha.

[therosesword]

I love a good slow burn.

[cyborgmermaid]

I personally love slow burns because I hate that "love at first sight" trope. It's too overdone and boring. Give me yearning, give me mutual pining!

[nostalgicroxas]

I like a slow burn, but I don't like a no-progress plot in the same regard. I'm all for characters getting to know each other, weaknesses, dislikes, ect, but I'm not on board with it take 100k words to get actual momentum toward even a small climatic event to even happen. Then it just feels like a filler fest.

[irisaralita]

I like slowburns but only for slice of life since the genre itself is about life so timeline-y is okay

[Kaydreamer]

I don't mind a romantic relationship sparking up quickly, so long as the author knows what they're doing regarding the growth of that relationship after it's established. That's where a lot of younger authors fall flat, since they've never actually been in a long-term relationship. So they tend to fall back on toxic behaviours, miscommunication, and petty squabbles in order to keep the relationship 'interesting' to readers.

Many IRL relationships spark up quickly. If you have two adults who know they're interested in each other, it won't take very long for one to make that plain, and invite the other on a date or something. The will-they-won't-they stuff is fun for a while, but I find lingering there too long is rather unrealistic for a lot of fictional relationships involving adults.

But the evolution of a budding relationship is endlessly interesting, and far less explored in popular fiction! I enjoy reading about how two characters move from infatuation, to the early stages of love, to that deeper point of love where your partner doesn't give you butterflies anymore, but rather a soul-deep comfort. What happens when two characters are moving through these stages at a different pace? How do they go about communicating that? When is it the right time to establish if the relationship is serious, or has the potential to be? When is it appropriate to admit that you're falling in love?

It's hard to find stories which deal with the above, since most stories tend to have their romantic pairs get together close to the end, and we never get to explore what happens afterwards. This is certainly the case in most YA fiction. One notable subversion of this is The Dragon Prince, and I'm really, really excited to see how they handle their main ship in upcoming seasons. (Though not without some trepidation. Teenage characters mean teenage miscommunications, and I hope they don't lead too hard into that.)

I have rather forthright characters, for the most part, so most of the romances in my stories don't take very long to begin. There'll be one notable exception in Dragonfeathers, but that's because one character is actively grieving the death of his lover, and while he and his love interest both recognise they're falling for each other, they also both understand he's in no right place to be jumping into a new relationship just yet. That one is proper slow-burn, because they both flirt with each other, they know what's going on, but they choose not to cross that threshold until he feels ready to instigate it.

[Ash_K_Gray]

For me, it really depends on the genre, characters, writing style...etc. Some stories are better off more fast-paced while others are better off as slow-burns. I personally enjoy all types of pacing! They all have different effects on the reader, and I love experiencing all of 'em.

Though, as a side note, a good slow-burn (in my own opinion) is a story that goes on slowly without seeming like it's dragging out just for the sake of it.

[Ash_K_Gray]

Ah yes , love at first sight is practically a meme at this point.

In romance in general, a slow-burn usually hits better. You get to see both characters fleshed out, and come to understand why they'd fallen in love with one another. It feels more grounded and , well, real.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

My point is, I want slow burns but not slow slow burns.

I think what you're basically saying is that you don't like rushed stories. =/ Or stories that drag on forever for no reason, for that matter.
I don't think either of those are genres of writing so much as they are just...examples of ways to write a story badly.

Like, a 'slow burn' novel isn't supposed to be a happy medium in between stories that resolve too easily and stories that can never seem to find their footing. As I understand it, it's simply a story in which relationships take time to form, and aren't slapped with labels right away.
A good slow burn romance will allow the romantic partners to spend a LOT of time doing things together, sometimes tinged with romance and sometimes not. They'll most likely become very good friends before they ever begin to think seriously about dating.

On the flipside, a non-slow burn romance isn't necessarily this:

introduction-subplot-end of subplot-introduction-subplot-end of subplot kind of novel where the author just throws problems after problems at the MC?

It just moves things along a little quicker. Maybe the characters meet each other, like each other, and decide to start dating right away (and the rest of the story consists of exploring that relationship). Or maybe it only takes a few 'special moments' for them to realize that they're falling in love. It doesn't have to be a story where things happen so fast that no one gets a chance to breathe; it can just be...paced normally.

If it's the former, what's your "range" of chapters you expect for every subplot to be perfect and not be called boring?

I mean...a chapter isn't exactly a formal unit of measurement. Besides the fact that they're not all the same size, some authors can get a lot done in a short chapter, and some authors can do next to nothing with a long one. ^^; It's kind of an unanswerable question that way...

I think how 'boring' a subplot is is better determined by its content. Is it important to the characters? Is it entertaining? Is it actually relevant to the story as a whole, or will it be rendered obsolete by the very next subplot?? If it's a long one, is all the story-time being used effectively, or is it being wasted on inconsequential events...? Stuff like that.

[mcmx]

I love slow burns. It keeps thing interesting for far longer. When I read something and all my questions are answered in 7 episodes I will most likely drop from reading it. But I find slow burns with good character development and relationships with other characters just hits different ( also the MC failing as well as succeeding and learning from those experiences is just better)

[DebEHowell]

Slow burn for the win. Absolutely.

[azzy-m]

Slow burn is great. Painful but satisfying.