I'm incredibly happy to be taking part in the blog tour for S.R. Johannes' new release, UNCONTROLLABLE, sequel to the awesome UNTRACEABLE! She's going to be talking about pacing here today, which is such an incredible important part of writing. Take it away!
There is
nothing more important than pacing to a thriller. But you have to balance fast
ace and slow pace or your reader will be exhausted.
Different
ways to create fast pacing:
·
Use
a plot template to make sure you know how your story will go
·
The
way you cut your chapters. Cut on the conflict.
·
The
dialogue needs to focus on moving story forward not dragging it down
·
Avoid
too much description – it weighs down story. Intersperse in throughout story
not in a dump
·
Use
shorter sentences when you want pace to pick up
·
Watch
adverbs and adjectives
·
“Arrive
late, leave first” – start in the middle of action. Don’t lead up to it.
·
Show
the conflict – don’t have your characters talk about it
·
Minimize
internal dialogue or speeches
·
Pull
your lense in close – look at a scene detail. Don’t pull back and oversee
·
Include
fight scene, chase scenes, and arguments
·
Make
sure dialogue is real so it is easy to read
·
Identify
the mood of every scene and write to that mood
·
Use
strong action verbs
·
Add
time constraints
·
Up
the stakes
·
Put
on the pressure and add complications
·
Surprise
or mislead the reader – keeping them on their toes
·
Make
sure you r bad guys are bad but real
You can’t
keep up the pace for the whole book or the reader will be exhausted. You will
need to slow down before you ramp up again.
Ways to
slow down and regroup:
·
Add
descriptions
·
Add
in dialogue
·
Change
setting to be slower paces
·
Move
from action to emotion
·
Play
with flashbacks
·
Use
longer sentences, softer verbs, and focus on the 5 senses.
Pacing is
not just about action and suspense. It is using techniques to get the reader to
turn the page or slow down the action to get the reader to take a breath.
As Grace recovers from tragedy, her science class is chosen by Agent Sweeney at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to help with research on the new "Red Wolf Reintroduction Program".
While she’s excited about helping with the conservation of the endangered wolves, Grace knows this means being outdoors in the worst winter recorded, in a place she no longer feels comfortable. It also means working closely with Wyn (her ex) and his annoying girlfriend (Skyler), a girl whose idea of getting close to nature is picking silk plants and growing fake plants.
After a couple of wolves show up dead, Grace almost quits. However, when a fellow project team member goes missing, Grace continues the assignment under a renewed suspicion that someone might be sabotaging the conservation program. She quietly begins to hunt for clues.
Little does she know, she is being hunted too. (From Goodreads)
While she’s excited about helping with the conservation of the endangered wolves, Grace knows this means being outdoors in the worst winter recorded, in a place she no longer feels comfortable. It also means working closely with Wyn (her ex) and his annoying girlfriend (Skyler), a girl whose idea of getting close to nature is picking silk plants and growing fake plants.
After a couple of wolves show up dead, Grace almost quits. However, when a fellow project team member goes missing, Grace continues the assignment under a renewed suspicion that someone might be sabotaging the conservation program. She quietly begins to hunt for clues.
Little does she know, she is being hunted too. (From Goodreads)
Pick up a copy of UNTRACEABLE from Amazon!
