Unlike with some things like dialogue or grammar, pacing in a novel is not that easy to fix.  Every author writes differently (obviously) so of course everyone is going to make different mistakes.  The only tried-and-true method for working out pacing issues is getting a good developmental editor, but I’ve decided to write some tips to help you avoid the most common pitfalls when it comes to pacing.

Pitfall #1: Not enough/too much background information.

One of the problems that I most commonly encounter, particularly in fantasy and science fiction is that the writer is trying so hard to have a fast-paced story that they leave out information that could help the reader actually understand the story.  In fantasy it’s important that you reveal information about your world and the rules therein to your reader or they’re really not going to care what’s happening.  The same goes for science fiction, which also has the added difficulty of explaining science to both newbies to the genre and hardcore fans.

As a writer it’s hard to separate what information you’re imparting to the reader from what information you have up in your head that seems obvious to you, the creator.  One of the best ways to figure out whether you have enough background is to get some beta readers.  If they’re left with more questions than answers by the end of the novel you’ve got some more writing to do.

Conversely, if a reader doesn’t need to learn about every family’s bloodlines, motivations, hair colour, eye colour, etc. then you’ve got some rewriting to do to take out that irrelevant information.  It’s important for the reader to be able to distinguish secondary characters from one another but if you as a writer really need to focus on making your main characters pop out.  This not only helps the reader follow your story but helps with the plot so you don’t get too bogged down in secondary character subplots. Continue reading →