Pacing

Pacing is the speed at which things happen in a scene. Here are some notes on pacing.

Pacing relies on emotion and reaction. Check out Swain's notes on when to speed up and when to slow down on the emotion page.

To speed up a scene, focus a lot on action and dialogue. There is not time for reflection, thought, back story.

To slow down a scene, concentrate on using sensory detail. Pay attention to emotions and what they do to the character. Include action and dialogue, too, of course.

Diction and syntax can also play a part in the pacing. Longer, more Latin words can slow the reader down. Longer sentences slow down the pace. Longer paragraphs slow it down.

In fast paced action scenes, each action should be on a separate line. However, beware of one-word paragraphs. They are over-dramatic.

The metaphors you choose can also affect the pace. Maybe a really fast scene doesn't need any metaphors. But if they do, use ones that are related to things fast and exciting. Do the opposite for the slower scenes.

Slow down at the most intense moments, especially the climax. The reader really wants to be in the moment here.