This week, Alida is off in the Black Hills, so we pull an episode from the archives, bringing Matt Herron back to the Round Table. We discuss pacing, what it really is and how it functions in your story.  How do you decide the best pace for your story? And how do you achieve that pace? What kind of effect can pacing have for your readers? And why is pacing so different between books and movies? Check out the books we talked about — those we loved and those we didn’t.

VIDEO

AUDIO

SHOW NOTES

What is pacing? How do you decide the best pace for your story? And how do you achieve that pace? What kind of effect can pacing have for your readers? And why is pacing so different between books and movies? Check out the things we’ve mentioned section to check out those books we talked about – those we loved and even those we didn’t.

What we talked about:

What do we mean when we say pacing? (0:23)

So how do you decide to write a fast paced story or a more leisurely story? (2:52)

Have you read any books that are heavy on narrative and yet felt fast paced? (3:57)

What elements affect pacing? (7:10)

Why should you vary pacing? (9:09)

Why do we care about pacing? (10:58)

Can you have a rich literary experience that is also a fast paced genre story? (12:32)

So what are the tactical ways to achieve pacing? (17:00)

Why did we talk books instead of movies? (20:58)

LINKS

Things we mentioned:

Blood Harvest – S.J. Bolton
The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
Harry Potter – J.K. Rowling
Island 731 – Jeremy Robinson
The Last Werewolf – Glen Duncan
Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett
East of Eden – John Steinbeck
Interview with a Vampire – Anne Rice

Have thoughts, questions, other examples? Join the conversation at the Story Works Writers Facebook group.