THE POWER OF PACING: FOUR BASIC TOOLS

By Beth Anderson

As the writer, YOU are the driver. The conductor of the symphony. The director of the movie.
It’s your job to “create the read,” engaging readers to the last word. That’s what pacing is all
about. Some of what I share here is drawn from a recent presentation on pacing I did at a
regional conference.

When we define pacing, a narrative technique, as momentum, movement, and flow, it sounds
like it’s the speed of the read. But I think it’s more about the feel of the read. While word count impacts pacing, it’s more about how you use words on the page. An 800-word manuscript can be a slog, or gripping.

Pacing is controlling the tension, the “pull” through the book. In my newest release, HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: KATE WARNE AND THE RACE TO SAVE ABRAHAM LINCOLN, it was key, part of the narrative—and a challenge. I had to create a sense of urgency in a race against time without sacrificing clarity or drama, enough tension to get the reader to suspend reality—to defy the fact that they already know that Abraham Lincoln becomes president.

As I see it, pacing techniques fall into two areas: tools and content. Here, I’ll share four basic
tools with examples from books I’ve written to show how pacing techniques can affect the
read. The content piece, which gets more complicated, can wait for another time.

4 BASIC PACING TOOLS

Punctuation = traffic signals. They dictate the read. Here are my fab five.

. STOP sign
, pause
— there’s more
… uh-oh
? unknown

Example: In these sentences the only real difference is punctuation. But they feel different.

Word Sounds: Letter sounds can affect pacing.

Example: Smooth sounds move quickly. Hard, sharp sounds force a slowdown, used here for a stronger hit with conflict. Can you feel the difference sounds make?

 

Sentence Length.

    Short sentences = slow

    Long sentences = fast 

At first this might seem counterintuitive, but more short sentences mean more periods—more STOP signs.

Example: Look at how sentence length changes the pace—slowing then speeding up again.

 

Text Placement on the Page affects the read. (And I think therefore may also affect the illustration.) Paragraphs flow, but dropping lines down the page slows.

Here's another way to write the text above. This option also has longer sentences. How does this feel different? 

 

Put It All Together

Example: Consider how punctuation, word sounds, sentence length, and text on the page affect pacing and the feel of the read…

 

And if you look at the book, you’ll see how text teams with illustration on this spread.

While these examples demonstrate a few tools used to pace text on the page, pacing is also about shaping and manipulating story content. One way we do that is with page turns and chapter ends that “pull.” Confusion, diversions, and too much information slow a narrative, so how we work with story content is a huge part of pacing. I’ll leave that for another time. 😊 As always, the elements and techniques of writing are all intertwined.

In the meantime, have fun playing with these basic tools of pacing!

TRY IT!

Play with a few spreads or paragraphs of a WIP. Be the driver, conductor, or director and use the tools to push the reader to read the words as YOU want them to be read. Speed up and slow down to create tension.

1.  Change up the punctuation. Delete some or add more. Test the differences created by a comma, m-dash, ellipsis, or line drop.

2.  Play with sentence length. Shorten, lengthen, break sentences into pieces. No rules! Where do you want speed? Where do you want to force a slow down for drama, impact, effect?

3.  Examine word choices. Are the sounds slowing or flowing? How can changing a few words impact the read by making conflict hit harder or action race?

4.  Move text on the page. Break up large paragraphs. Play with line breaks and drops down the page.

Does your manuscript look different? (more inviting?)

Does it read differently? (more impactful?)

Does it FEEL different? (more engaging?)

About the Author

 

Beth Anderson is the author of more than ten picture books, including LIZZIE DEMANDS A SEAT, THOMAS JEFFERSON’S BATTLE FOR SCIENCE, and REVOLUTIONARY PRUDENCE WRIGHT. Her books have received awards and recognition from Bank Street College, ILA, Colonial Dames of America, JLG, Chicago Public Library, Museum of the American Revolution, NCSS-CBC, and NSTA.

A former ELL educator and Reading Specialist, Beth’s experience in the classroom continues to inspire and inform her writing as she shares true stories that widen our world and invite kids to laugh, ponder, and question. Born and raised in Illinois, Beth now lives in Colorado.