Pacing advice requested

[HelloHound]

I'm a new writer and I feel like some parts of my story are too fast but I'm not sure how to fix it; how do I better pace the plot without stopping it or making it feel awkward to readers?

 

[RedHunter2296]

Don't worry about going too fast or too slow. Make it as long as you feel you need to be. For if the story needs information but you cut it to make it fast, you will probably omit information. If some part of it is meant to be short, don't make it longer, because you won't know what to do to fill it in.

Make it as short or long as you consider necessary. My novel is 139 chapters long, I feel I'm just finishing the beginning and my readers say I'm going too fast, too much too soon. In short, just do what you think is necessary, nothing more, nothing less.

 

[K5Rakitan]

how do I better pace the plot without stopping it or making it feel awkward to readers?

Carefully
Write the story you want to read, and also take some time to edit before you post. Different readers like different paces, and you can't please everyone.

 

[Deleted member 57675]

I'm a new writer and I feel like some parts of my story are too fast but I'm not sure how to fix it; how do I better pace the plot without stopping it or making it feel awkward to readers?

Hard to tell just from this comment. Put your story through a review blender to see how someone will think. They might be able to point where its rushed or a slowed drag.

If its fillers, do away with it.

If its bbuilding up to tension, make it bit more in depth but consistent to previous chapters' narrative style.

If its tension, depends what you wanna do. Horror maybe slow and sudden spike in tension. Jump scare? Thriller will maybe want fast paced.

 

[Anon2024]

Pacing isn’t about how fast the story goes but how your writing keeps the reader’s attention.

If there are too few details where the reader has difficulty understanding what is happening, it doesn’t work. If there are too many details where the majority of readers who are your target audience get bored, it’s another problem.

Readers have their preferences, and different countries have their own preferences as well.

 

[Khiricastares]

I think the key point here is that you feel the pacing in some parts is too fast, rather than other people saying it.

If you feel the pace is fast in certain areas, the first step is to then break them down and ask yourself what feels fast and why.
Is there enough setup and previous information? Do you skip past certain details? Are there points you can see being easy to or useful to expand upon? Did you get all of your ideas and thoughts written down or are there some things that feel like they're missing?

If your story is feeling too fast in areas, you can also take a look at the rest that you don't feel has pacing issues and do a basic structure/logic check. What happens, why and how. Then figure out if there is a pattern or if it's simply a matter of editing and refinement. Like people have mentioned, pacing is more of an issue towards reader attention than writing. But if you yourself find it to be fast, then that's a clear sign it may not be up to your own reading standards yet.

 

[Katsuya]

Carefully
Write the story you want to read, and also take some time to edit before you post. Different readers like different paces, and you can't please everyone.

Useful advice for me. I just write with the flow.

'Oh, it's raining. I don't have an umbrella' and then the sharing troupe thing. Yeah. never anything too unique- yet.

 

[placeintime]

Create an outline. that'll help you out a lot in pacing your plot. One thing I do right now is that I write out a general plot and then I go more in-depth and specific.