Thread by @melisscaru

I had a request for a thread on pacing, and specifically on how to figure out what's messing up your pacing when you can tell it's off. This is a great topic, so here we go!

#writingcraftmc thread!

There are a whole bunch of factors that contribute to good pacing, and sometimes you get that feeling that it's not what it should be but aren't sure why. (This still happens to me ALL THE TIME—I just spent a bunch of time fixing pacing in my WIP, in fact.) Some things to check:

STAKES. If you have a long stretch of low-stakes scenes, that'll often cause pacing to fall flat (or if you have so many super-high-stakes scenes in a row that readers get burned out; they need time to process). I find it helpful to make a stakes map: melissacaruso.net/2016/08/22/sta…

THROUGH LINE. Even if you've got lots of stuff going on, pacing can feel disjointed if there's not a clear narrative line pulling readers onward through it all. (For instance, if your MC is just being buffeted by events rather than pursuing a goal.) melissacaruso.net/2017/05/10/don…

TURNING POINTS. You know those "Wow, this changes EVERYTHING" moments? If you don't have one for a loooong stretch of the book, things can get repetitive, and that can hurt pacing even if plenty is going on.

(I don't have a handy article on this one, so here's a bit more...)

One thing I do is to make a list of my really big, major turning points for a book (I want to say I usually have, like, 5-7 ish?) for a way-zoomed-out view of the structure. Each of these turning points defines an arc of the story: goals, conflicts, etc may be different.

Then I estimate at about what percentage of the book I *want* these turning points to take place (due to their importance, place in the plot, etc) and compare that to where they're actually falling in the draft.

This often helps me catch pacing issues! In my current WIP, This method helped me figure out that a key turning point came too late in the book. I've edited it about 10K words sooner and I think the pacing is much better in that section!

REPETITION. Watch out for scenes that are too similar or accomplish basically the same thing. Every book I find my characters having essentially the same conversation multiple times and need to cut/combine. This can apply to action scenes, too. Repetition kills pacing!

CHARACTER. Your pacing can be perfect in your outline, but if we don't see & feel how the dramatic events are affecting your characters, pacing can still feel off because those story blows aren't landing. We can feel whisked along too fast without feeling the impact of events.

SCENE-LEVEL PACING. Within lower-stakes scenes (travel & transitions, low-stakes dialogue & info dumps, scene-setting & character intros, etc), make sure to keep it tight at the line edit level. Raise/add stakes where you can, avoid repetition, & watch out for getting rambly.

(I ALWAYS wind up having to edit my low-stakes dialogue & transition/travel scenes down. Every time. One scene that drags on too long can kill your momentum, so this is more important than you might think!)

I should add that pacing operates differently in different types of books. Not every book needs a ton of "WHOA" turning points, or super high stakes, or even necessarily a strong through line—it depends on what you're trying to do, and the particular story you're telling.

And don't worry if your pacing is off in a draft! It's so hard to get right in one try. I have to fix it in edits every time.

Happy editing!!!

(Tagging @kritika_rao who requested the thread!)