How do I slow down the pace of my book?

Question

Is flashbacks really a good idea?

I tend to picture my story as a movie when I write. It just helps me that way rather than outlining. Maybe I shouldn't be doing this. But, I need to slow the pace down a bit. What would be a good way of going about this? I always heard flashbacks were to be avoided.

Oops: Slight grammatical error, as you know.

Answer 1

Look at how you're describing (or not describing) things. Are you showing the reader the settings and events, or just telling? Telling is faster, but less effective. Are you using all five senses when you you're describing things (where appropriate of course)? Things like this will slow down the pace a bit while giving the reader a closer experience with the action.

Someone else mentioned developing the characters more, allowing time for introspection. This is also a great idea. (I tend to do too much of this, slowing things down more than I should.)

Using longer sentences and more complex sentence structures can also slow things down a bit. You don't want to use all long, complicated sentences, natch, but if a scene is moving too fast, then one or two will help.

Also be sure your dialogue isn't just "talking heads": lots of he said/she said, with no movement or description in between. Again, this adds context for the reader.

Out of curiosity, why do you feel your book needs to slow down? Is there something missing? Important things you don't cover? If so, identifying those things and looking for a pattern can help you figure out how to fix the problem.

Answer 2

Flashbacks should be avoided. There are better ways to get information about the past to your readers. I am wondering why you need to slow down the pace, too. Most authors seek to write "page turners".

The best way I know of is to write and have your editor advise you. This is a situation where an editor who is experienced with books in the genre is invaluable. Editors have done this before. They know how to pace a book and what publishers are seeking. It will be well worth your money to finish the book and then have it edited. That is what editors are for - much more than for fixing your punctuation and spelling.

When you are done your first draft, find an editor you feel comfortable with. Most will do a sample edit of ten pages or so. That will give you an indication of the editor's work. Then let them do their job. They will tell you if your pacing is off or not. A good editor can take a good book and polish it into a great book. They are worth the money.

As for writing without an outline, some can - some can't. It seems like you are writing cinematically, which works but only if you are very careful not to leave any holes or questions in the plot. When you write cinematically, your readers will read that way, too. And if you suddenly have what I refer to as "logistics problems" where someone does something not physically possible, or if there is a hole in the plot readers can see through, they tend to show up much more when writing cinematically. Look at JK Rowling. There isn't a kid on earth who hasn't caught every single one of her goofs because they think of her work as books/movies. Writing without a plot takes very careful writing with a LOT of going back and forth filling in holes. In that respect, authors who outline probably have an easier time. But write how you are comfortable.

Pax - C

Answer 3

Even if you picture your book like a movie (there's nothing wrong with that) you still have to pace it, just like movies do.

If you continually up the action without a pause then the reader will get tired of it and your story will lack meaning.

Learn more about how to pace your scenes. Avoid flashbacks.

The way to do it is to consider how suspense works in your story. You have to continually build up your audience for major revelations. Once you reach a revelation you have to work onto the next revelation. They should steadily quicken and become more potent as you reach the climax where you reveal the deepest meaning of your story.

The reason why you think picturing it like a movie rather than outlining is because a movie, for you, makes it apparent how a story is developed. If you take an outline from a movie and from a book, there will be very little difference. They're both still a story.

Answer 4

I'm fascinated.

Why do you want to slow the pace down if you are picturing your book as a movie? If you do this, then surely it is natural to have a movie-type pace in your writing.

If you want to slow the pace then perhaps spend more time developing the descriptive element of your writing to set the scene better, or spend some time in character development to make your reader care more about them. But don't do this for the sake of it - only do it if it suits your book and your style.

As regards flashbacks, there is nothing wrong with them per se, they just tend to be a rather over-used device and are often used as a lazy way of scene-setting or passing background information to the reader. Instead of employing flashback, you could impart the same information in a conversation for instance. Another method is to start the book with the flashback and then move forward in time to the main action. This is a device beloved of murder mystery writers - something happens in the past that affects circumstances in the present.

Answer 5

Unless you're confident that you can make them work, don't do flashbacks. They generally just slow down the pace way more than the author intends and are just really obvious signs of "I don't know how to develop characters normally."

Dialog is one, not just vital to the story. Characters can communicate as people, unless they are in a situation that would make this impossible. You could try showing a few different viewpoints, again, unless this is impossible, such as with a First Person book.

Subplots are always nice, but again, it depends on the context of your story. It may be something that would make a subplot seem forced or just simply out of place.

Perhaps if I knew more about your story, I would be able to help more, but I would never advise that you put any part of your story online. Sorry.

Answer 6

It's called filler material. You can have more interaction between characters. Small side events that expose character traits to the reader. Gives them a chance to get a feel for the characters in your book.

You can also have a second lighter side story going on with the main story. It's creates more dialogue, filler material and lets the read see more of the world you've created for the characters.

What your doing now is actually writing a movie script (though not in that format) rather than writing a book. The little side adventures is what makes the novel. The easiest example to see are the Harry Potter books when compared to the movies. Look how much stuff is left out or shortened from the book to the film.

Answer 7

In general, description slows down pacing. Anytime you stop to describe something, you slow down the action. The car screeched around the corner... reads more quickly than... The large red Cadillac with one missing headlight screeched around the corner of Larson Road, clipping its left rear tire on the curb. Chunks of grayish concrete exploded, spattering Mrs. Wilson's neatly manicured flower bed in a hail of grit and stones... But I'm going to guess the problem might not be that the pace is too quick, but rather that you're not giving the reader the information she needs to cement a relationship with the character(s) in the story. Or the information the reader needs to picture the setting. Remember that fiction writing is all about showing and not telling. Description enhances showing. Sparseness can lead to telling (but not always). He was angry... is telling. He slammed the coffee mug on the table, his teeth bared in a thinly disguised snarl... is showing. "Vividness outranks brevity." --Dwight V Swain, "Techniques of the Selling Writer" Of course, too much description can bog down the story. Writing fiction is always a balance. I'd suggest you take a fresh look at your story opening and ask yourself if you've included any of the senses: sight, taste, smell, sound. I'm not saying add ALL..but the addition of a few key sensory items might make the difference to the reader, help place him into your story world and endear your characters to him. If you've a library nearby, you might look for: Dwight V Swain, Techniques of the Selling Writer, Univ of Oklahoma Press Jack V Bickham, The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes, Writer's Digest Books You might also like some of the sites listed in sources. Hope this helps!

Answer 8

Stay away from flashbacks, if you can. One way of slowing down the action is to have the POV character have a scene of introspection, if the plot allows for it.

But honestly, I am so tired of reading books that take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get to the point. Basically, what I am saying is: there's nothing wrong with a fast-paced book if the plot calls for it. Remember, it's all about the story. There's no right or wrong way to do it.

Answer 9

Consider spending more time on characters. A lot of movies don't give us background information or point of view from different characters. You could lengthen/slow down the book by providing readers insight that would really make them relate to your characters.

Answer 10

Take the story in a differant direction,
Add characters ,
develope the story a little more in depth...