: Re: How to know if the story is going too fast? I have a question, part subjective, part common sense I think... The conjunction of experience of some writers can be helpful for me. How you know

@Samaraweera193

Vote Up Vote Down

It honestly depends on the genre. There is no easy way to say "your book is going too fast or too slow." Different people have different tastes. Different time periods have different tastes. Pick up Jane Eyre, and you will find a book boringly slow to the modern reader, but was perfectly acceptable to the readers of its day.

That being said, here are a few general guide lines:

Know your genre. I expect a thriller to go significantly faster than a science fiction book such as Dune that is largely focused on world building and political intrigue. You may want to read books in the same genre as yours and get a feel for how they are paced.
Know your audience. Is your audience looking for a rapid page turner, or are they looking for a slower book? Again, this is something you can learn by reading books similar to your own.
Know what you are good at. While there is definitely a place to stretch yourself in writing, you usually (in my opinion) want to stick with what your good at. If you can write a magnificent, fast paced story, you might not be as good at writing something slower.

Knowing if you pace is too quick is a different, more complicated problem. As you go through the book and edit, ask yourself if you feel the story is lacking because of the pacing. Do you think you can spend more time developing a key characteristic of the protagonist? Or is that lengthy conversation ruining the otherwise fast paced chapter? It's difficult. You will have to struggle with it. Beta reader could be of significant help in locating parts where the pacing is off.

(0)

Login to post a comment!