There isn’t one simple way to define pace when referring to fiction writing. A broad definition might be that it is the creative sensitivity which the writer uses to control the reader’s experience, and it can be measured as the ratio between story and exposition.
Pace is one of the five pillars of fiction writing, along with story, narrative voice, characterization and description. Story is the series of events we typically call plot. Narrative voice is the choice of words and syntax used to convey the story. Description is the information given so that the reader can follow other elements of the plot. Characterization is the nature, beliefs, appearance, and everything else that makes up the players in the story.
So, how do we control pace? We manipulate the elements within the five pillars of fiction writing to control the speed at which the story progresses. It's not as difficult as it sounds. Story consists of plot, dialogue, description, and back-story, while exposition contains color (atmosphere), description (setting), and information. If a scene contains equal parts story and exposition, the pace for the reader feels slow because the ratio is neutral. More story (plot, dialogue, description, back-story) would make the pace feel as though it’s sped up. More exposition (color, description, information) would slow it down again.
If you arrange your story so that something occurs in every sentence, this conveys intensity to the reader and makes the pace seem fast. The ratio of story to exposition is high, with more story than exposition. However, if something happens in one sentence, and then you follow that with five lines of description, and follow that with five more lines of anything but plot, the pace slows down because you now have more exposition than story. Exposition isn’t a bad thing, but writers should use it sparingly to ensure the pace is steady and fast enough to hold the reader’s attention.
Readers tend to read at the same speed, whether the pace is fast or slow. What makes a story feel as though it moves fast is the structure you’ve chosen to tell your story. A story with good pace is one that keeps the reader engaged, not tempted to skim the “boring parts”.
It’s impossible to guide a writer on how to pace a novel to perfection for many reasons. Every scene requires different pacing depending on where it occurs in the story and which plot event it covers. Genre plays a role as well. Different genres require different structures. While a suspense novelist might keep his readers on the edge of their seat for much of the novel, an author of historical fiction might dial it back now and then to provide necessary information. Although it might seem logical that readers move faster through exciting parts because they have fewer words, this is not true. Writer use more words in action scenes than we do in mundane scenes such as the character getting dressed or eating dinner. What makes it feel fast or slow is what is contained in those words, not how many we use. Fifty words of exposition can seem slower than three hundred words that convey nothing but action.
How fast should your story move? That depends on the writer and the story. You determine whether to slow the pace or keep it moving by measuring out the plot to exposition ratio accordingly. To do this you must adjust what elements are used in each scene. If you want speed, remove the exposition. If you want the reader to take a breath and reflect, add exposition. The amount of disparity between story and exposition, affects the pace but the right pacing is something you , the writer, must determine.
Renee Miller - Co-author of Writer's Companion, a reference manual for creative writers, and freelancer/fiction writer.
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