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How fast is too fast?

TheokinsJ

Troubadour
I just started writing my upcoming fantasy, and at around three chapters in, I find myself asking if I am moving things too fast. So far I've written roughly 15 pages and introduced the character, his friends and family, all the main characters and practically everyone the reader is ever going to need to know about. I'm building up to a major event that will ultimately decide the fate of the main character and is an important part of my plot, and somehow I feel like the build up hasn't been as even as I'd liked. I originally estimated this big event would take place roughly 80-100 pages in, now I am faced with the prospect of it happening at around page 30, and I am increasingly worried that things might become a bit too fast paced for my liking. I don't want to draw it out and make it boringly long, but at the same time I don't want this event to happen after merely 40 pages- any suggestions on how to lessen the pace and bring the story's speed down a notch?
 

Jess A

Archmage
How did you introduce the characters? Through info-dump (this is so and so, this is how the town looks, this is what the religion/government is, this is so and so's mum and dad) or through action of some sort?

If you started with the protagonist waking up and brushing his teeth, then having a chat to mum and dad, then you need to rethink it.
 

AnnaBlixt

Minstrel
If you can get to the event without 100 pages of build-up... wonderful!

Maybe you can add some pages to flesh out the characters a bit, but if 30 pages turns out to bu sufficient... go with it! You can always flesh it out more later if needed.
 

Sinitar

Minstrel
Your question requires us to know the plot of your story, so I doubt I can answer that for now.

I think the pace is perfectly fine by the looks of it, though the way you described the information you added in those 15 pages sounds a bit overwhelming. Do we really need to learn about all of these characters in such a short notice? Maybe this is what forced you to rush that main event: All that sheer amount of information that had to be added.

So, if you want to delay the big event a little, explore your main character more. Throw some obstacles before him, put him in situations where he must make decisions so that we know what's he made of before the big event kicks in. The more we know about him, the better the scenes will turn out to be. That's why I strongly advise you to pay equal attention to the smaller events that shape out your characters.
 

The Unseemly

Troubadour
I actually do/did this myself (hehe... nevermind. Maybe advait will understand.) But even me... phew 15 pages sounds like a laborious lot to get through.

What I'll say is that people are sometimes a little... exuberant (I'll just say) about info dumping. And, in a way, it's a good thing - you're right in the action, seeing what the characters see, yadda yadda yadda. But I find that sometimes, it's nice to have a brief description of someone/something before delving into the action, especially if that description forecasts the actions ahead. I don't think most readers will mind a few such paragraphs.

The key thing is: make it relevant. If a description/bit of background information is directly relevant to the story ahead, then go ahead and write it. If you'd like a "definition" of info dump, it is: infodump: to provide extra irrelevant information about characters/places/events - to go off topic; to distract the reader.

So I suppose what I'm saying is that you can sort of build up to scenes through relevant information (if you like). This can be particularly interesting in the beginning of the story when your reader hasn't discovered much about the characters/world yet, and this information is helping them immerse in the story.

Obviously, I haven't read your 15 pages, so I won't jump to any conclusions about anything. However, my advice is: if its 15 pages of irrelevant information*, then I'd cut to the chase, and skip it. However, if there's something happening, which is at the same time developing your world/character(s), then by all means, keep it.


* - A brief note about relevant/irrelevant information. This may seem obvious, but I've read books that did this: basically, the author provided information which would be relevant further in the story, but at present, seemed tedious and irrelevant. Remember that the reader can't think what you think.
 
This kind of thing is always hard to judge; one writer might say "the big event" meaning a major twist on characters that have been carefully worked out over time, another writer might use the same for the start of the story.

I like the idea that if a story seems to go too fast, you ask yourself if there's something important that you haven't done justice to. Establish why the problem had to happen? Deal with the obvious two or three ways to cope with it, and why they don't work? Go through the important character reactions or clashes about it? Or were the basic character introductions rushed, without a good sense of how to give the basics efficiently without making it feel artificial.

(In contrast, I've found that if a story seems to go too slow, it usually means it just is. :rolleyes: At least, even though there are always juicier ways to work through something at the same speed, you may want to ask yourself if that's the way you want to write it; maybe that wordage was becoming careless when a trimmer form of it might work better.)

What really matters is your sense of where something is within the whole. If a story's about the neighbors rumormongering and why that's going to spoil the wedding, build your way up to it for half the story or more; if the demons crashing the wedding is the key, maybe it should be just page 30, or page 1.

(And kudos to The Unseemly. Relevance is always the key for information, including whether the reader at the time takes it as important or as a distraction.)
 
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Jess A

Archmage
On relevance and a little 'info-dump' (The Unseemly) - that's a fantastic point as well. I've had a few conversations lately with people (including a member on here) regarding recent publications. In journalism we must get to the point as quickly as possible, for many reasons. When I was growing up, I used to love reading character, setting (etc) detail in fiction. I don't generally fancy Lee Child because his books are too fast-paced for me. I would read his books when I want something brainless. I like Nelson DeMille (his older books) and Robert Ludlum because they go into detail - but it's generally plot-relevant detail and it makes the story rich in setting and emotion.

What I didn't like was Jean Auel's Plains of Passage, where she described a glacier for 90% of the book (if I am remembering it rightly). It was unnecessary. I revel in setting description and probably over-describe myself - but I have a limit.

I think to follow up a comment above about brief description before action, at least tell me what the character looks like and what they are thinking. I see too many books where I am skimming through endless action with no idea who I am supposed to relate to, and I'm not given a visual of who I am looking at or what the setting is. But if the action involves brushing one's teeth and that's not important to the story, then I'll also get bored. Then again, if the toothpaste turns out to be poison...

Perhaps you could share what you have done so far so we have context and can comment on it that way?
 
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LadyKatina

Dreamer
Like everyone else has said, it's hard to gauge story pacing sans the actual story. That said, I rarely complain when a story is moving along at a quick clip, unless I feel lost because either:

(A) too many things have happened in quick succession without the author giving me a chance to process what any of them mean to the characters or overall plot, or

(B) so many characters/settings/concepts have been introduced without providing me the chance to see them in action or interacting with each other.

In other words, throwing a lot of action or characters or world building, without providing context or reflection on it from the narrator or POV characters, makes me feel like things are moving too fast for me to keep up with. Because I don't have an emotional connection to any of it. I don't have any reason to care about why X, Y, and Z happened. Or who A, B, and C are.

If an author doesn't build in at least minimal "action/reaction" cycles, or in the case of characters and world building "introduction/interaction" cycles, then it feels like we're just whipping through a landscape I don't care about with people I can't get to know.

That said, I tend to write really fast-paced stories myself, so I'm probably guilty of this as well. It's something I have to keep in mind, because once you get rolling with the prose, it's easy to get caught up in the fever of getting to the next scene or milestone. But you have to give your readers a few rest stops, so they can absorb all the stuff you've thrown at them.
 
In other words, throwing a lot of action or characters or world building, without providing context or reflection on it from the narrator or POV characters, makes me feel like things are moving too fast for me to keep up with. Because I don't have an emotional connection to any of it. I don't have any reason to care about why X, Y, and Z happened. Or who A, B, and C are.

If an author doesn't build in at least minimal "action/reaction" cycles, or in the case of characters and world building "introduction/interaction" cycles, then it feels like we're just whipping through a landscape I don't care about with people I can't get to know.

Cycles, yes! That can be the real key to being sure something's covered. A character has to act in a way that makes an impression on the reader, then other characters react to that, and we see how the first character adapts (or doesn't) to that, how the others may change after that, and so on. More goal-directed sequences are the same way: do A, X happens, do B in response, etc. ("Everything is either the next step forward, a step being blocked, a step around that, or a step back to think. Or it's the background you're stepping past.")

It's one thing to pick a good example of character or plot, or try to describe it well. But working out these cycles makes it an organic whole: what complications are really involved, is this the kind of person who responds with this or with that, how long or how costly or how surprising can the cycles get as they run?

It's been said that writing is structure. By rights, structure is those cycles.
 

Addison

Auror
Well a fast pace, especially at the beginning, is a good thing. Too slow and you'll lose the reader.

But I see what you mean. Using a space-shuttle analogy from a writing article, if you go too slow you won't make it out of the atmosphere and you'll fall to flaming bits before you get into space. But if you go too fast you could still suffer damages.

My advice is to leave the story alone for a while. One day is not enough, try a week. Then read it with fresh eyes, maybe let a friend read it. If you and/or your friend think it needs to slow down find the part(s) that seem to really be sending the story off and work on those, don't mess with something that's not messed up. I know this from experience.
 

JSDR

Scribe
I just started writing my upcoming fantasy, and at around three chapters in, I find myself asking if I am moving things too fast. So far I've written roughly 15 pages and introduced the character, his friends and family, all the main characters and practically everyone the reader is ever going to need to know about. I'm building up to a major event that will ultimately decide the fate of the main character and is an important part of my plot, and somehow I feel like the build up hasn't been as even as I'd liked. I originally estimated this big event would take place roughly 80-100 pages in, now I am faced with the prospect of it happening at around page 30, and I am increasingly worried that things might become a bit too fast paced for my liking. I don't want to draw it out and make it boringly long, but at the same time I don't want this event to happen after merely 40 pages- any suggestions on how to lessen the pace and bring the story's speed down a notch?

Some Pink (not quite red, I guess) flags for me in the description of your problem.
1) 15 pages in which you introduce the character, friends and family, and *all* the main character and *practically everyone* I'll ever need to know about? Doesn't seem fast, seems more like literally a list of characters. My eyes glaze over if I have to try to keep more than 5 names in my head after the first 5 pages.

2) You're building up to a major even that will ultimately decide main character's fate. For me, it sounds fine for a significant, fate-deciding event to occur at page 1 or page 20. As long as I understand the main character before it happens to the extent that I care what happens to the main character, and I care what the MC decides. Otherwise, you could build something up but if I don't care about the MC, then it's kind of a moot point how big the event is.



General guide I use is if it feels boring to write, then it's gonna be boring to read. Skip the parts *you* would skip if you were reading your story.

Anyway, for the fine tuning of how to slow pace down, try adding more internal thoughts, detailsed descriptions, use longer sentences, perhaps cut down on dialogue scenes. Find where you summarize things and expand with shown action.

Hope this helps,
J
 

Rullenzar

Troubadour
A few questions you should ask yourself.

1. Have I given the reader something interesting at the beginning that makes them want to read about all my characters and get to the 'main event'?

2. Is there an interesting way I could have my main character meet some of these people to lengthen the story a bit while staying relevant to the story progression?

3. Can I leave little breadcrumbs (obstacles) that my MC must go through that plays into the 'Big event'?

4. Were you planning on a short story or novel? And even if you weren't planning on it would a short story be more suitable for this particular work?

5. After I finish my work, can I go back and make it more meaty or is it already meaty enough?

6. Is it important to introduce all these characters? Do they all help progress the story? Can I add in a conflict to take the place of some of these characters?
 
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