10 BEST Tips for Pacing Your Book
- Jenna Moreci
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
HelloOoOo everybody!
Today, I am talking about one of your most requested topics, and that is pacing. It can be difficult to determine the rhythm and flow of your novel, and sometimes it's hard to tell if the scene that you've written is too fast or too slow, given the circumstances and content. I've personally put a lot of time and effort into honing my skill set in this area, so now I'm breaking down the top 10 tips that I've learned for pacing your novel. Let's perfect the rhythm and flow of your novel with these 10 super awesome, super amazing tips.
This video is sponsored by Skillshare. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Number 1: Consider the Structure
This one's really simple because you've already made an outline, right? Once you have an outline, it's a lot easier to see the overall structure of your novel, and in turn, it's easier to map out the pacing. You don't want your novel to feel like a continuous series of fast moments because then it'll seem rushed and exhausting. But you also don't want it to be continuously slow because that's boring.
Instead, your novel should be a rollercoaster of low points and high points as well as slow points and fast points, weaving in and out of one another. So analyze your outline. Are there too many fast points with zero interruption? If that's the case, fiddle with the structure and see if you can break it up with something slower.
Number 2: Consider the Character’s Point of View
A lot of writers get so caught up in their own heads that they forget to think about the character's experience. If a moment feels slow to the character, it's appropriate for the pace to be slow as well. On the flip side, if the moment feels fast, then the pacing should reflect that. Take, for example, an explosion. Your character's heart rate is up, people are running, it's absolute chaos.
If you're writing a scene like this at a slow pace, it's gonna feel like everything's happening in slow motion, which is probably the exact opposite of what you want. Then there are times when you do want things to happen in slow motion because that's how it feels to the character. Maybe their boyfriend just said I love you for the first time, or their dad died, and it feels like time has suddenly stopped. If the moment feels slow for the character, it should have a slower pace in the story as well.
Number 3: Sentences
Sentence structure can do a world of good or a whole lot of damage to the pacing of your novel. If you want to avoid issues, there's one simple rule you gotta follow: longer sentences go in slower-paced scenes, and shorter sentences go in fast scenes. Please keep in mind that it's extremely important to vary your sentence structure throughout your entire novel, or else your scenes are going to read as repetitive and choppy. No one's saying you can't have a few long sentences in a fast scene, or a few short sentences in a slow scene. This is just a general rule of thumb.
Number 4: Details
Much like the last point, if you're writing a slower-paced scene, you heighten the details, and if you're writing a fast scene, you rein them in. If your character is experiencing their first kiss, this is usually a slower, sensual moment. So you can take your time describing the feeling of their lips pressed together, their heart rate, and their wavering breathing. But if you were to give the same amount of detail to a fight scene, this would be really awkward.
This is an issue that a lot of writers have when it comes to action. They feel the need to describe every movement, every maneuver, and every detail. Not only is this boring as hell, but it also significantly slows down the pace. Remember your character's point of view. Fight scenes move fast, which means they're not going to remember every single movement or notice every detail. Focus on the most necessary, visceral components and save the word dumps for the slower scenes.
Number 5: Ditch the Filler
No one cares about your main character's nine-to-five job, and no one cares about that one time your villain was rejected by that one girl in the fifth grade. This shit is filler. It does absolutely nothing for the plot, but the author includes it because why the hell not? The problem is, it slows down the story to a glacial pace, and you do not want that. The reader should not be constantly slogging through unnecessary details. So ditch the filler. I know you love it, but no one else does, and it's not doing you any favors.
Number 6: Ditch Filter Words
Filter words are typically verbs that filter the reader's experience through the main character’s. Hence the name. “See,” “hear,” “realize,” “think,” “decide,” “know”—these are all filter words.
Now, every once in a while, a filter word has its place, but most of the time, they just distance the reader from the story itself. On top of that, they slow the pacing of the story, especially in scenes that are not supposed to be slow at all. Nine times out of ten, you don't need to filter the story through the main character's experience, because the reader already knows that the main character is experiencing all of this stuff. So instead of saying, “She wondered if her mom was dead,” just say, “Was her mom dead?” Instead of saying, “She saw blue sky far ahead,” just say, “Blue sky stretched far ahead.”
Number 7: Consider the Speed of the Conversation
If your characters are having a relaxed conversation, this will probably be a slower-paced scene. You can take advantage of this by adding narrative to the mix. Describe their body language, or their facial expressions, or changes to the setting around them. If the dialogue is firing off, say for example, an argument. This is a fast-paced scene, so you're gonna wanna keep the narrative to a minimum. Tell the reader what they absolutely need to know, like who is speaking or any relevant actions. Body language and facial expressions should be written sparingly and only when they paint a very important visual.
Number 8: Cliffhangers
The goal behind pacing is to keep the reader interested without having long lulls or without making the story feel rushed. And ending the chapter with a cliffhanger is the perfect way to address both of these issues. First off, cliffhangers keep the story moving. The reader is not gonna wanna put the book down, because they need to know what happens next.
Second, a cliffhanger doesn't have to be a life-or-death or fast-paced at all. It could be a conversation ending in a surprising way, or a sudden kiss. Implementing cliffhangers at the end of your chapters will get readers turning the pages, and you can do this without turning your story into one massive heart attack.
Number 9: Keep It Moving
A lot of people struggle to differentiate filler from transitions. Sure, your character's school life may not be pertinent to the plot, but sometimes they have to mention it for the sake of realism. You haven't forgotten the fact that your character is a teenager in high school. They may be slaying vampires, but they do have finals next week. So mention the stuff in brief transitions, and keep it moving.
Focus on moving your story from plot point to plot point. If weeks happen in between, then explain it in a short transition. A paragraph at most. The readers know your characters have lives outside of the story, and they appreciate you acknowledging it, but they also don't give a shit.
Number 10: Get Feedback
Beta readers and critique partners exist for a reason, and that's to make your story suck less. Sometimes we're too close to our stories, and something that feels impactful to us may seem incredibly dull to someone else. So ask other people about your pacing. If they throw out words like “dragged,” “rushed,” “sloppy,” or “boring,” you've done fucked up.
So that's all I've got for you today!
Pacing can be a pain in the ass, but if you implement these 10 tactics, you'll be on the right track.
A huge thank you to Skillshare for sponsoring this topic. Not only are they so supportive of my channel and my writing, but they're just such an amazing resource for creators. And as a creator, I really appreciate that. It's not easy to be a creator; we need all the help we can get.
If you'd like to check them out, now is the perfect time to do so because Skillshare is offering two months of Skillshare Premium for FREE to the first 500 people who click the activation link below. That's 10s of 1000s of classes that you can take for up to two months, completely for free. I highly recommend it, obviously, because I have my own classes there. And because I take classes there. So, clearly I'm a fan. Click the link, do yourself a solid.
*This post is sponsored by Skillshare. As always, all opinions are my own.
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I found the 10 best tips for pacing your book really useful to keep the story flowing smoothly. When working on my project, I also used online notability assessment custom services to check if my topic met important publishing standards. Combining good pacing with these services helped me create a stronger, more readable book.