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Acolyte
I've always had issues with pacing, and I've never been able to find an answer that really clicks for me. Maybe someone in here has an idea, or can put a new spin on an old idea, so I can figure out just what I need to do?
My problem is that I love action scenes. Love them. I've written 10k avalanche-style climaxes to fantasy novels just because I wanted to live in the high-action, revelation-filled scenes for a bit. I never went back and actually wrote the books that would be capped off by these scenes, because that was never the point. Those scenes were what I wanted to write, so I did.
Now, though, having gotten tired of the traditional publishing quest, and basically tired of short fiction, I am trying to get down some 20,000 to 30,000-word stories that I could self-publish in series. I actually have the whole self-publishing plan figured out, but there is one little hitch. No stories.
So I started writing them. The first one I wrote, which I am going back to now, came out to 10,500 words in first draft, but I get the same complaints from everyone. It's just too fast. Now, people like it. They enjoy the read, and on various writing sites it wins contests and gets great feedback, but... there is always that problem. So what do I do? Well, I've considered a few things:
1. Make her work harder for the resolution.
I can do that. In retrospect, the climax comes with too little effort anyway.
2. Use description to slow things down as needed.
I'm on the fence here, and I can't really explain why. For example, the very first scene is only a tad over 1,000 words, but it feels right at that length. There are a couple throughout that might hit 1,800, but it feels wrong to shoehorn extra description into this narrative. It is a cyberpunk-inspired fantasy, and the cut-to-the-chase narrative style really feels appropriate.
Now, as I say that I need to slow things down, I also know that I need to explain things better. There are aspects of the story that are simply not delved deeply enough. More story between the action scenes would obviously slow things down, and as long as the content was necessary, and fulfilling, then there are no complaints.
After typing all of this, I can't help but wonder if, maybe, my problem is that I just don't know how to write those more docile scenes.
Well, I managed to get to the end of the post and not even be sure what my question is anymore. Does anyone have any experience with this, though? Do you ever write a story, then realize it is more of an outline of your favorite parts? That it should probably be twice as long, and you're just not sure how to write those necessary--though less exciting--scenes?
My problem is that I love action scenes. Love them. I've written 10k avalanche-style climaxes to fantasy novels just because I wanted to live in the high-action, revelation-filled scenes for a bit. I never went back and actually wrote the books that would be capped off by these scenes, because that was never the point. Those scenes were what I wanted to write, so I did.
Now, though, having gotten tired of the traditional publishing quest, and basically tired of short fiction, I am trying to get down some 20,000 to 30,000-word stories that I could self-publish in series. I actually have the whole self-publishing plan figured out, but there is one little hitch. No stories.
So I started writing them. The first one I wrote, which I am going back to now, came out to 10,500 words in first draft, but I get the same complaints from everyone. It's just too fast. Now, people like it. They enjoy the read, and on various writing sites it wins contests and gets great feedback, but... there is always that problem. So what do I do? Well, I've considered a few things:
1. Make her work harder for the resolution.
I can do that. In retrospect, the climax comes with too little effort anyway.
2. Use description to slow things down as needed.
I'm on the fence here, and I can't really explain why. For example, the very first scene is only a tad over 1,000 words, but it feels right at that length. There are a couple throughout that might hit 1,800, but it feels wrong to shoehorn extra description into this narrative. It is a cyberpunk-inspired fantasy, and the cut-to-the-chase narrative style really feels appropriate.
Now, as I say that I need to slow things down, I also know that I need to explain things better. There are aspects of the story that are simply not delved deeply enough. More story between the action scenes would obviously slow things down, and as long as the content was necessary, and fulfilling, then there are no complaints.
After typing all of this, I can't help but wonder if, maybe, my problem is that I just don't know how to write those more docile scenes.
Well, I managed to get to the end of the post and not even be sure what my question is anymore. Does anyone have any experience with this, though? Do you ever write a story, then realize it is more of an outline of your favorite parts? That it should probably be twice as long, and you're just not sure how to write those necessary--though less exciting--scenes?