tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005062827798430682.post3397483654464810752..comments2024-02-21T05:25:03.233-05:00Comments on Adventures in YA Publishing: Seven Key Elements of Pacing Your Novel--Plus a Mystery Box of Four Books/ARCsMartina Boonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03358736828122139189noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005062827798430682.post-20343953954069541582015-03-30T22:21:23.198-04:002015-03-30T22:21:23.198-04:00It usually depends on the type of book, and premis...It usually depends on the type of book, and premise for it, that I read for me to determine what a good pace is for that particular story. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14865170885673487423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005062827798430682.post-28343172666369135132015-03-29T11:49:24.983-04:002015-03-29T11:49:24.983-04:00Not a writer myself, but a prolific reader. It is ...Not a writer myself, but a prolific reader. It is interesting to read the "back story" & processing that goes into writing. Often we as readers believe that the writing just happens, not really zing all that goes into creating these characters & stories that we love. Thank you!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12104107644430923390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005062827798430682.post-61739601085397675512015-03-04T13:37:32.581-05:002015-03-04T13:37:32.581-05:00I'm saving this post! I think one of my strugg...I'm saving this post! I think one of my struggles is keeping that pacing and tension. It kind of depends on the story, too, how pacing looks--the balance is different for each book. Keeps me busy, figuring that out! As far as reading, I like fast-paced books, but I do like breathers (even if brief) in between. Carol Riggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14092209912983783974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005062827798430682.post-67342142533734838952015-03-03T23:54:33.440-05:002015-03-03T23:54:33.440-05:00This is a terrific post. Thanks!This is a terrific post. Thanks!Rosihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01294774973863802821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005062827798430682.post-18982867011711997722015-03-03T22:01:03.100-05:002015-03-03T22:01:03.100-05:00Thanks, Carol! That means a lot coming from you. H...Thanks, Carol! That means a lot coming from you. Hope you are doing well! XOMartina Boonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03358736828122139189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005062827798430682.post-63297662607581394072015-03-03T18:53:55.549-05:002015-03-03T18:53:55.549-05:00really nice blog, Martina. Will save to re-read. T...really nice blog, Martina. Will save to re-read. Thanks!Carol Baldwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10444182118975929045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005062827798430682.post-64635794740208616002015-03-03T12:55:58.646-05:002015-03-03T12:55:58.646-05:00I'm with you. And even if the character doesn&...I'm with you. And even if the character doesn't connect--there are antiheroes and so forth where that isn't always possible--there are techniques that can bridge that initial period of building. People bash the Twilight books, but you had a character there with an enormous ARC, and she wasn't terribly likable. Micro-tension on every page turned it into a blockbuster because people didn't give up for all the pages until something overtly "big" finally happened.Martina Boonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03358736828122139189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005062827798430682.post-54006134239097291032015-03-03T11:30:03.063-05:002015-03-03T11:30:03.063-05:00So true! I'm willing to give a story some time...So true! I'm willing to give a story some time to draw me in. I don't need to get hit over the head on the first page. As long as the writing and/or character connects with me, I'll hang in there, at least for a while.HeatherCRaglinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08546914126436706664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005062827798430682.post-29062406652840893472015-03-03T10:37:41.526-05:002015-03-03T10:37:41.526-05:00Hi Kessie,
That's a fantastic point, and I li...Hi Kessie,<br /><br />That's a fantastic point, and I like the scene-sequel terminology much more than the action/reaction/response terminology. Whatever we call them, motivation-reaction unit's are an important tool in pacing, and while I alluded to it in items 3 and 4, they really deserve a separate, meaty blog post. To me, it seems like the scene/sequel model is one of the things that has most changed in recent years. It used to be that the reaction and dilemma portions of the response took up more page time than it does now, and I think long rehashing of reaction to the previous disaster is what readers tend to skip these days. It's also what so often is decried as "telling," which is why a lot of writers mistakenly give it short shrift, leaving the reader feeling disconnected. And there's a big difference, IMO, between a character who is too reserved to admit her feelings or examine them too carefully (like Barrie, for example) and a character who simply doesn't react. An astute reader will pick up on the first as a technique, but the second just leads to a breakneck pace that wears the reader our.<br /><br />The key, as you said, is that the writer has to grasp how to use scene-sequel structure correctly, and then it IS invaluable! Thanks so much for your note!!Martina Boonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03358736828122139189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005062827798430682.post-47818777182176676142015-03-03T07:55:04.522-05:002015-03-03T07:55:04.522-05:00I'm so glad to hear someone say that books don...I'm so glad to hear someone say that books don't have to open with a murder, car crash, etc. I find that a lot of that advice is geared toward thrillers, and thriller advice just doesn't apply to, say, fantasy, which relies on description to build the sense of wonder.<br /><br />I really grasped pacing in my own work when I learned scene-sequel structure. I still feel like I've unlocked the secrets of the universe. :-)Kessiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019626781634777336noreply@blogger.com