So last night I actually did the thing and made a chapter by chapter outline of my story. I thought my pacing was pretty good until I did this - it turns out it isn't! I've ended up with an insta-friendship instead of what I wanted which was a gradual one. I know sometimes people just 'click' but my characters are both pretty cagey and it takes time to crack open their shells. I' ve added all of the scenes of their blossoming friendship that I had planned in this outline and still it seems to be moving too quickly. Any suggestions on how to slow it down ? I know adding more scenes will help but I don't want to pad the story out with filler just for the sake of drawing something out longer.
If you can't add in scenes, maybe you can delay them getting really close - I don't know if your plot's dependent on them being tight, but they could go through a fair portion of the story without being as friendly as you'd originally intended, giving them more time to hit Peak Friendship Levels while other plotty stuff is happening. (I was recently working on a new version of an outline and ran into the same problem - distrustful character seemed to actually trust everyone right away - and changing things to keep her cagey longer and give friendships more time to develop and cutting the earlier deep bonding scenes helped a lot. Don't know if it'd work with your plot, though.) Having some sort of dramatic catalyst that would make them trust each other more immediately and solidify their friendship could work, buuut could also come off as cheap.
I've got the dramatic catalyst as the event that brings them together in the first place. My plot is kind of based on them getting to know each other, trouble is when they are together they are always in the same environment so there's only so much I can include of relationship building interactions. Realistically what they'd be doing is sitting around talking but that's not fun to read. Although thinking about my character motivations, if I flip one of the scenes so that the characters does what he does for a different reason that might work to delay it a bit.
Could you have an event (or events) which actually pushes them apart, and strains what little friendship they already have?
I do actually have one of those but it comes later on when they are at their closest so the betrayal has more of an impact.
Not that I'm good to give advice as I need all the help I can get but what if you made the time pass faster, maybe say by a couple of months, that might make it seem more legit as they would have known each other longer? ie you could start the next chapter as 'A few months later...' 'A few months had passed' Or 'By October...' I hope that makes sense!
That makes perfect sense, thanks @L C Cranston. Of course you're good to give advice, don't put yourself down! I can just have him say how he couldn't bear to throw her out on the streets for x, y and z reason and then something about how hes getting to know her and other plot stuff. Glad to see a new member getting active on the boards, hope to see more of you!
If they are both cagey people what is forcing them to interact? You mentioned something about him not wanting to throw her out on the streets. Misunderstandings typically delay relationships between characters in and outside the world of fiction. You may need to rework your outline. Of course time jumps are always an option.
