Hey everyone, I am writing a novel and have quite a long plot line. My story should be very long, however I seem to be having trouble with pacing myself. When I read my work over it often seems like things are moving to fast. Any tips?
Sorry this is bugging me. It should say "too" fast, not to fast. Secondly about your question, my suggestion is just to keep writing it. Don't read back over it until you are done with your first draft. I have scrapped many hours of hard work because I fell victim of the same thing. After listening to a lot of tips and reading a lot of articles I decided to just keep writing and just fix what needed to be fixed after I finished it. So in short, just write how it feels to you. Later on you can add things or change things to slow it down (if you then feel it's necessary).
My suggestion would be the same. Just write. You can fix the problem later. As long as you're spitting words on paper then you're moving in the right direction.
I had the same issue a couple of times. I'd recommend that you have things that don't feature in the plan happen. If it occurs to you for a character to say something, have them say it and then see where you can take it. But once they've gone a little way from the plan, make sure you can tie it back in an give it a purpose.
It could be that that's your writing style. I've read authors who cover more ground in one short book than some cover in three long ones. If it's a concern though, consider adding a bit more description to your writing. It'll help define your world and slow things down a bit. Remember - just because you know where your story is going, it doesn't mean the reader does. If you're hitting your major plot points too quickly, throw some curve-balls at your characters and make them work for their accomplishments. Whatever you end up doing, make sure it doesn't seem forced or 'writing more for the sake of having written more'. Maybe you've just found your pace - and it's fast
Finish writing it then find places to add reflection scenes. Flesh out dialogue with beats (expressions, how people move etc), describe your surroundings more. Add more emotion ect My writing is a fast paced story would be happy to show you some if it would help. Brothers Bishop by Bart Yates is another good example.
I have the same tendancy. I get so excited about the story, or start looking forward to the next big scene, that I rush to get there at the expense of character development, or setting. It has taken me a long time to learn to let the scene I am writing play out at its own pace and not rush to the climax. I also write rather slowly, so what seems to take forever for me to write can read very quickly making the story seem rushed and uneven.
finish writing it first!... save the worry about length for later... you may even find you don't have a problem after all...
