forum My pacing is crap?
tune

people_alt 3 followers

LadySeshiiria

I have the same issue but I've notice there are times when my pacing is great too. What has helped me is to listen to the kind of music I want my pace to tune to. Slow for slow fast and hard for action that kind of thing. Everyone's pacing is crap at first. Mine still is and needs work, but the more practice you get the more you will find your voice which helps with pacing. Also if you find yourself going way to fast from scene to scene try slowing down and using more words to describe the situation.

So if you have a paragraph like:
Mary went to the store and she grabbed the few items from the toiletries department that she needed before rushing out. She bumps into an ex boyfriend as she exits the store.

It could be changed to incorporate more senses. Use the five, this paragraph is weak and short and to the point. Short and to the point works in some forms of writing just not here. You want your audience to feel and experience more through Mary. Get more descriptive without getting distracting and droning.

Instead try:
Mary rummaged through her purse fervently for her keys. She was in a hurry to get to the store and it seemed like no matter how careful she was, she was always tripping over something or dropping something else. Clank! The keys landed under the side table by the door. Mary had dropped her keys in a fluster. She bent down to grab them and then smacked her head on the corner in an attempt to grab the keys off of the floor. A searing pain ran through the back of her head penetrating her sinuses. Then she heard a crash as the vase fell to the floor.
"Dang it" She breathed out in a huff grabbing the back of her head. She wasn't feeling well and needed something for her head cold. I'll just get it later she thought. She picked up the keys and opened the door then turned to lock it before leaving the house. She needed to get to work but first she needed some snotifed. (Notice punned brand placement. lol)
The sound of traffic roared as she climbed into her car. She lived in the worst place imaginable. It was the only place she could afford though. It was right of the freeway of all things, making it hard to sleep at night at times. Aside from the noise you could see lights coming in from her windows. Her head hurt and she could feel it throbbing in time with the noise. Even worse was the acrid smell in the area coming from the smelter up the road. The smell was causing sharp pains in her forehead. Her sinuses were burning again and her eyes began to water. Did she dare go into work feeling like this? After all this was an important meeting and she couldn't afford to reschedule it.
Some time passed by and she managed to drive herself to the store. The drive was exhausting and it was hard to concentrate on the traffic. She parked her car in the front of the convenient store before getting out. She noticed a blue Lazda parked with a familiar scratch. She decided to pay it no mind and went inside.
She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and then walked over to the selves where the convenient store kept its meds. She grabbed some asprin and some snotifed. She hastily walked to the counter to pay for her things.
"Is that all ma'am?" The man said bored.
"Yes."
"That'll be Fifteen-sixty-five."
She grabbed her wallet from her purse and pulled her card out then swiped it in the machine. He began to bag her items as she was paying.
Mary then left the convenient store and opened her car door sat down and grabbed the water, asprin, and snotifed out of the bag. She tore open the packaging and popped the pills quickly into her mouth. She then grabbed the ice cold water and downed the pills quickly. The water tasted refreshing and made her throat feel better.
Then suddenly someone banged on her car window.
"Ack!" She jumped spilling the cold water in her lap. It was her ex!

I tried to cover all the senses from how she felt- emotionally: there is a sense of urgency because of a meeting. Being rushed, nervous feeling, tired, sick, the searing pain in her sinuses and head. Sounds: the traffic, the vase dropping, the keys dropping. Taste: water was refreshing and cold. Smell: the acrid air of the city and its consequences of living by a highway/freeway. Touch: again overlaps with cold water. Sight: was blurred from pain when her eyes watered. Seeing lights in her home at night from traffic.

I know this isn't the best example of writing and it may not have the best flow but its better that the first sentence and at least applies how one can extend a scene using the 5 senses. It doesn't have to be perfect the first time it is a draft. That can come in the editing process. Editing as you write slows you down too much. Its better to get the general idea down and then play with it after the work is finished.

Ellen

Try to make an outline of what you want to happen in the particular scene/chapter you're trying to write. If you feel like you're getting laggy or you're character's actions have no meaning, symbolic or otherwise, think to yourself: WWQTD? (What would Quintin Tarintino Do? Kill a few characters in an extraordinarily gory fashion in order to make a poignant statement about the character doing the killing's personality (or make some other drastic move that will shock your readers but tell them, with the characters actions, something important.)