The Place For My Writers Notes

Original Posting Sept. 10, 2015

Writer's Digest, October 2002, on pages 18 and 19, had an article called How to Tell Time by Michael Orlofsky. The focus is on pacing, how the characters move through the plot, and the tempo of the plot. Unlike real life, in writing, time isn't really a straight line. We get to add peaks and troughs. In particular, those peaks are important, as little mini climaxes building up to the final one. But how do you control your time?

1. Scene and Narration. Scenes are one of the keys here. Scenes are basically "real-time" as far as the story goes. We get to watch the characters doing things in a setting, moment by moment. On the other hand, narration often condenses time and space, moving action and speech and information along.

2. Flashback versus linear flow. "One of the most used fiction techniques is the flashback." Jump out of the "present" of the story and into the past. Be aware that flashbacks delay the story line. Sometimes an overabundance of flashbacks means that you started the story in the wrong place, and you're having to rebuild the beginning through all these flashbacks. If it's really important for the character or the story, go back and start the story back then! Linear narratives, on the other hand, focus on the forward flow of a ticking clock.

3. Transition. "To me, the best approaches are the simplest ones -- short, introductory adverbial and prepositional phrases..." Meanwhile, in the summer, and so forth. White space, or sometimes *** or ###, also may indicate a scene or time change. Even the old ... can do the trick!

4. Verb tense. Past tense adds an obvious temporal distance to the story. Present tense makes things more immediate.

5. Sentence length. "Long, luxurious sentences and paragraphs slow the tempo of a passage. Conversely, short sentences quicken the pace and frequently produce a tense, staccato effect."... "Note the have been flow of the sentences: long ones to convey time passing; short ones for dramatic punch."

It's not in the article, but I was thinking that TV and movies often use the musical background to cue us in. A slow, violins playing romantic piece or perhaps a quick, bongo drumming background give us very different impressions. Similarly, our writing has a rhythm to it, built up of lots of little things. We need to pay attention to our pacing, to match the writing to the tension in the plot. Move quickly. Jump! Or just take our time and stroll along, enjoying the flowers in the sunshine?

Something to think about, anyway. And perhaps check during revision, to make sure the fast parts really are fast, and the slow ones take their time?

Original Posting 25 February 2009

Getting the Pace Right

Writer's Digest, March 2006, The Writing Clinic by Paul Bagdon on pages 52 to 55, discusses how using pacing and a simple structure produces "Exquisite Dread." It's looking at a prologue, "a resoundingly splendid piece of work -- so strong and evocative, in fact, that it's a positive example of the principles of effective fiction writing. Beck has done almost everything right in her pages, and her first paragraph constitutes an essentially flawless opening for a novel or a short story."

Now that's a high recommendation. So what's the first paragraph look like? Glad you asked:

"Margaret Costello prepared Abby's after-school snack before she hanged herself in the garage. She sliced the cheddar into perfect squares and arranged them on a plate, alternating crackers and cheese in two straight lines. She readied a meatloaf, then placed the heating instructions next to the cheese plate on the kitchen table and walked through the house one last time."

The commentary has three points.

1. Open with action. Opening paragraphs need to create drama, and make it almost impossible for the reader to stop. There a lot of ways to do this, but "open with action" is a good recommendation. But what does action mean? The very first line of this paragraph provides action -- the very ordinary preparation of a snack juxtaposed with the revelation that the protagonist intends to kill herself. And then we continue with the snack.

From the first sentence, the reader knows what is going to happen to Margaret. So why do they keep reading? It's a combination of interest and empathy. "It's difficult to imagine a reader who wouldn't be compelled to continue reading after absorbing the opening paragraph -- which is precisely the effect a well-crafted opening is intended to have."

2. Pace yourself. How quickly the plot is developed and the characters are revealed is what really keeps the reader going. You can use flashbacks, changes in person and tense, changes in location, different narrators, and even straightforward simple chronological description. The key is keeping the pacing in mind. Is the plot dragging because of description? Is it racing too quickly, so that the reader doesn't have a chance to keep up? Are we flashing all over the place on non sequiturs? Don't bury a vivid plot in overused devices. Technique is at the service of telling the story, not the other way around.

3. Emotion or sensationalism? Sometimes writers use emotion to strengthen scenes that aren't quite as strong as it should be -- that's sensationalism. Be careful of going over the line. You want honest accurate emotions, not melodrama. This particular prologue is emotionally difficult. But it is also compelling and not overdone.

So when you're doing those beginnings, remember this example. Juxtapose a revealed action with the ordinary. Don't bury strong plot in writing devices. And portray honest emotions.

And write.