Is fast pacing a bad thing?

azbikergirl · May 8, 2005

I've been told the pacing of my novel is too fast. "Pedal to the metal the whole way," a critiquer said of my first three chapters, advising me to slow it down some. I thought fast-paced = good, exciting, can't put it down. What am I missing?

Zane Curtis · May 8, 2005

I don't know, I always thought that a reasonably brisk pace was a good thing. You might allow yourself a few quieter, more contemplative moments for the sake of contrast and variety, but in general, you want to leave your readers wanting more, rather than wishing you'd shut up and get to the point.

pianoman5 · May 9, 2005

Pacing is usually somewhat genre defined. Action adventures often sustain a cracking pace that never lets up. One good example I can think of is Matthew Reilly (a near neighbour of mine in Sydney). His trademark is a quick fire pace with something happening on every page, which keeps his readers shrieking for more.

On screen, I can think of the Die Hard movies, or the show 24 where you barely get a chance to draw breath before some new terrible thing is happening.

oswann · May 9, 2005

Sometimes, even in a genre traditionally fast paced, this can be annoying. James Ellroy's short sentences leave me physically tired after about five hundred pages. It's like being sucker punched on every page. I understand this may be the point, just saying it annoys me sometimes.

Os.

Trapped in amber · May 9, 2005

I think pace needs to vary, even if overall you are aiming for a relatively fast or slow paced work. The reader needs time to absorb, to connect and to think. The books I haven't been able to put down aren't necessarily fast paced, and those that were tended to vary enough to give me breathing time.

zornhau · May 9, 2005

Funnily enough, I got this back from my critique group. It turned out that I needed more description, and rippling sub-conflicts to provide some depth.

Berlovska · May 9, 2005

Fast pace - usually it's my problem. I guess it happens because the author thinks far for ahead. And gives a reader the result of his(her) thinking process. But in most cases the readers (me including as a reader) enjoy the process of living in the space and time of certain event. Therefore all senses must be included - all these tints and hues of smelling, seeing, happening... Not just the event by itself but what happens between. So, the pace will be like - up and down, up and down, sort of a making a music.

It's really tough to write not for yourself but for others. But I think more rewarding...

brinkett · May 9, 2005

Maybe there's not enough character development? Hard for anyone to say without actually reading it.

azbikergirl · May 9, 2005

So how do you determine pacing for your own writing? I reserve shorter sentences for fight scenes. In the first six chapters (~10000 words), sentences average 10 words in length and 3 sentences per paragraph (including dialog, of course). Too short? Is it not possible to tell pacing from statistics like this?

brinkett · May 9, 2005

Just my opinion, but I don't think it's possible to tell pacing from statistics like that. When I'm writing, I don't look at pacing in mechanical terms, nor do I plan pacing. I try to write scenes that engage the reader so they'll want to read the next one, that's all. However, I write character-driven stories. For a novel more focussed on action, my approach might not be the best to take.

Have you gone back to the reader and asked him/her why they felt out of breath after reading your chapters? Also keep in mind that it's only one opinion. What you should do is look for patterns in the comments. If a few people say the same thing, then you need to take the comment seriously. If only one person says it, perhaps not. You'll never please everybody.

NeuroFizz · May 9, 2005

Pacing is a tough one--some writers just have a feel for it without any kind of plan or organizational technique. Maybe it comes from reading a lot of good stories. Most books on writing address pacing, so that's a place to start. Personally, I'd rely on your critique group--I learn about a problem by reading the books. I learn more about how to DEAL with a problem by having someone show me where I'm screwing up, or where I'm coming up short. Think of all-out action like this: Even something that feels really, really good is going to lose some of its magic if it is done twenty-four hours a day. What makes all of those brief, really good feeling moments so special is the wait for the next session--all of the anticipation, all of the games that are played to get back to it. Here comes the depth....

Liam Jackson · May 9, 2005

Pacing is such a subjective issue. You have readers that want to flip pages at a ***-over-tea kettle rate and others whom love to take their sweet time digesting every paragraph. No matter which style you shoot for, you'll find proponents and opponents.

Personally, I like rollercoaster novels that supply slow climbs, sharp curves, the occassional "where did the botton go???" dips, and a finale filled with fireworks.

Tall order? Not at all. I've found any number of writers who employee this style- if you can call it a "style". I don't think it's a issue of style at all. I think it's an issue of storytelling.

azbikergirl · May 9, 2005

Thanks everyone for your responses.

brinkett said:
Have you gone back to the reader and asked him/her why they felt out of breath after reading your chapters? Also keep in mind that it's only one opinion. What you should do is look for patterns in the comments. If a few people say the same thing, then you need to take the comment seriously. If only one person says it, perhaps not. You'll never please everybody.

OK, I guess maybe I'm overreacting. Only one person complained that it was too fast. The pace has been brought up before, but not as a complaint. There are lulls and chances to catch one's breath, but the story starts off at a good clip with the intent of engaging the reader right away.

maestrowork · May 9, 2005

Ask your beta readers exactly where it's too fast, and where it's too slow. Statistics means nothing when you don't have specifics. Usually if you have a lot of dialogue, the pace might be too fast. If you have paragraphs after paragraphs of descriptions, the pace might be too slow. Everything else... that's what your betas are for!

zeprosnepsid · May 9, 2005

When I think fast pacing, to me it usually means lack of description. Like LOTR can be really slow paced at times, even though so much happens in the books, because of voluminous description.

But it depends on your readers and your intent. I actually skip description in books a lot of the time. And there are plenty of works and genres that are fast paced. Chinese wu xia novels (like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) have almost no description (Except for the fighting). And they are very fast paced. But it works well.

So if your book is plot-based than why not. But I always associate pacing with description, I don't know if that's always true.

LightShadow · May 9, 2005

It depends on the novel. Some require strong character development, some require a fast pace, some are leisurely. Thing is, a reader doesn't want something that is so bogged down with description that it slows the story down (just give them enough for them to use their imagination), yet don't go so fast that the reader forms no picture and feels the story blew through their ears. Moderation is the key, unless the genre calls for you to be stronger on something in particular. I tend to use a brisk pace, yet I try not to break any speed records. Characterization is plot.

Kallahan · May 10, 2005

Pacing is a delicate art, even action novels should slow it down some time, if only to build tension. I personally prefer break neck pacing as I have the attention span of ohh whats that?

maestrowork · May 10, 2005

It really depends on what you write. Obviously, someone who has the attention span of oh-what's-that? is not going to sit down with a literary novel or a 1000-page fantasy (or maybe he will, but then his expectations would be different...) And someone who picks up a mystery or a suspense would probably expect a break-neck pace -- a swift entertainment worthy for a short flight or a two-day cruise. You need to know what genre you're writing, and for what kind of readers.

Anatole Ghio · May 11, 2005

If only one person made the comment the pace was too fast, I would chalk it up to a unique reader response. When I get three or more comments of the same criticism from different readers, I then know the flaw is in the writing.

Pacing can mean several things, in terms of what a beta reader might really be reacting to. Many times, this criticism really means a scene has been passed over and needs to be developed more. These are scenes with a major conflict or revelation which can be exploited for more effect, but the writer left this potential untapped by telling instead of showing.

Also, somtimes slowing down the pace will build tension, instead of relaxing it. Whenever Hitchcock wanted to amplify tension, he would do it by detailing every little event in a scene, while suspending the danger to the main character.

So even though the films would slow down in these scenes (Spoiler: think of how long Cary Grant waited by the road for his secret meeting in North by Northwest, before being attacked by the plane... the pace was exceedingly slow)... the tension was never higher.

zornhau · May 11, 2005

zeprosnepsid said:
So if your book is plot-based than why not. But I always associate pacing with description, I don't know if that's always true.

I think it's also to do with varying the kind of conflict. If the protags just fought an epic battle, drop back and give them a respite at the Grove of the Kindly Elves, but use it to have them sort out their own subplot romance conflict, or else argue about what to do next.

If the braid of conflict stops, so may the readers.

azbikergirl · May 11, 2005

I have a phobia against Telling, so perhaps my book seems "too" fast-paced (to some) because I Show the great majority and Tell very, very little. I tend to have a lot of dialog, which also seems to speed up the pace.

zornhau · May 11, 2005

azbikergirl said:
I have a phobia against Telling, so perhaps my book seems "too" fast-paced (to some) because I Show the great majority and Tell very, very little. I tend to have a lot of dialog, which also seems to speed up the pace.

How so? Telling normally speeds things up:
It's the difference between:

Jasmine parried a bill and lunged home. She kicked the corpse free.

and

A spearman stepped in and thrusted at Jasmine's stomach. She dashed the shaft aside with her rifle-stock, jammed her bayonet into his throat and twisted. He dropped his spear and clutched futily at the gaping wound. She kicked the dying man's legs from under him. Stepping over the body, she advanced another pace into the temple.

maestrowork · May 11, 2005

I think what azbikergirl means is that there are a lot of action, dialogue, external stuff going on (all showing). Not enough introspection, internal thoughts or descriptions (more telling). That could, certainly, make the story faster paced.

Hummingbird · May 11, 2005

I'm guilty of skipping over descriptions when I'm reading. Some times I don't even notice until someone in the story says something about something I skipped over. So, if you think you have enough descriptions for your story, the beta reader could've just skipped it or something and complained about it being too fast.
I've actually done that before, but I read it over and the pace in the story was fine. It was just my eyes.

azbikergirl · May 11, 2005

Yeah, Maestrowork. That's what I mean. An example off the top of my head:

Telling:
Joe didn't eat enough, always in a hurry. Efficiency was crucial for a man like him. He filled his sock drawer with the same style of white socks so he didn't have to hunt for a matching pair in the dark. His closet was full of black and navy slacks, white dress shirts, and solid colored ties. Joe had enough problems to deal with at work, and a wife who found fault with everything he did.

Showing:
He smoothed the navy tie across his chest with one bony hand, and poured himself a cup of black coffee with the other, careful not to splash it on his white shirt. "I'm going to be late again."

"Where'd you put the damned sugar," his wife snapped, slamming one cupboard after another. "Why can't you just leave it on the counter until I've had my third cup?"

Close to the same word count, but the Showing seems faster to me.

Is fast pacing a bad thing?

I really do look like this.

Dried Frog Pill Dispenser

Means well

Grumpy

Swordsman

Elder Scrolls devotee

I really do look like this.

Elder Scrolls devotee

The grad students did it

Heathen Horde Elder

I really do look like this.

Fear the Death Ray

defender of the blahs!

Fear the Death Ray

Ironic Paranormal

Swordsman

I really do look like this.

Swordsman

Fear the Death Ray

Pen, Paper, Prepared. ...Write!

I really do look like this.