Stage of revision 8: Does the pace vary?

We like pace. Then modern world moves fast. Have you noticed how short scenes are these days on television especially in newer soap operas? Our attention span is getting shorter.

However, if the pace is fast all of the time, the readers can lose the thread of the action.

We need a balance of fast pace and slower pace.

Achieving fast pace

There are several ways of doing this:

·         Short sentences

·         Powerful action words

·         High stakes (this of course also helps with tension)

·         Short chapters

·         Cliff-hangers at the end of chapters (another that also helps with tension)

Giving the reader a break from the pace

These actions help with that:

·         Creating a film in the reader’s head

·         Writing with the senses

·         Keeping the pace to real time (when you read your text out loud it take the same time as the action in the text)

·         Showing not telling

·         Use of dialogue

Getting the balance right

This isn’t science or even craft.  It’s an art.  Here you must use your fine-tuned instinct. How do you develop that instinct? You do this by reading a lot of other books for your target reader, getting to know our target reader well – perhaps through readings and other interactions with them – and also be sharing your work with critique groups and beta readers.

Note of course that the balance will be different for different readers. Make sure you are clear about who your reader is.          

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 

Stage of revision 7 Is there conflict and tension? Are there peaks and troughs?

 

The role of conflict and tension

It is so often the tension between characters that leads to story in the first place. So tension is a number one driver.  As is a conflict of interests. Often too, the protagonists are conflicted with  their environment. A character may cross the first threshold but may still refuse the call to adventure. There is also that very important conflict between what a character wants and what they need. 

 

Lesson from stage and screen 

It’s useful for novel and short story writer to look at what happens on stage and screen – and even in radio plays. There we find a projection forward. Suggestions are made and the viewer / listener looks out for how that pans out. Will the ghost actually appear to Hamlet? What will he learn from it?  What will he do as a result of seeing the ghost? 

 

Not what but how 

We expect a happy ending usually.  We know the good guy will win in most cases.  Yet seeing how that happens fascinates us. Car chases are welcome.

Can you keep your reader on the edge of their seat? Will any scene make them say, “So what?”?  If it does the latter, get rid of it or change it.

Every so often though the reader needs a break – and so do your characters. They need to regroup, gather their thoughts or reflect a little on what just happened. Or maybe they need to make a plan - albeit one that is going to be thwarted.

A few tricks up your sleeve

There are a couple of tricks that help us to keep the reader engaged:

1.      Have a cliff-hanger  at the end of each chapter

2.      Have one more nasty thing happen just before it all resolves  

 

Practical editing tips

So, what should we be doing in this stage of revision?

Examine each scene carefully. It must do one or several of the following: 

• Relate to the main conflict
• Make the reader want to carry on reading
• Allow a break for the characters to regroup, reflect, rationalise and make further plans

Happy revising! 

The Constant Editor

I’m doing a considerable amount of editing at the moment – as part of my role as a university lecturer in creative writing, my own work naturally and in my role as editor with Bridge House Publishing. I’m also member of a couple of critique groups. So, I’m constantly playing with words. What a world to work in!
What do I notice when I edit?
One of the biggest problems is lack of tension in the plot. Often the resolution comes too easily. It’s a problem I find in my own work. How exactly do we get rid of the Deus ex Machina?
Telling instead of showing is also common, especially amongst less experienced writers.
Perhaps the third most common problem is shifting point of view. Yes, the omniscient author is coming back into fashion, but it has to be proactively that and not an assortment of misaligned mistakes. What is a little alarming about this category is that I see it also in published works, which have presumably gone through an editorial process. I’m not talking just self-published or small press either. I see it in works produced by the big boys.
An irritating problem amongst less experienced writing is incorrect formatting, especially in direct speech.
Then there is the odd miracle, the odd piece of writing which really grabs me and switches off that chuntering left-brained inner critic. I become absorbed in the story and the sheer brilliance of the writing. Bring them on!