Maintaining momentum
One question that always crops up in writing advice forums is "How do I build tension and maintain pacing?" This is directly the reason why someone puts a book down. Character work is good, but this also has the same point behind it that people don't realise. They all rely on one thing.
Hey!
One question that always crops up in writing advice forums is "How do I build tension and maintain pacing?" This is directly the reason why someone puts a book down. They feel that the pacing has begun to slow and are getting rather bored.
Character work is good, but this also has the same point behind it that people don't realise. They all rely on one thing.
🚶Pacing = information
By this, I mean that a story is simply drip-feeding information to the reader. A good example of this is any 'whodunnit.' These centre around providing clues for the reader to follow which finally end up revealing who the culprit is. A writer masterfully lays out breadcrumbs and provides these to the read through the course of their writing.
In the case of other stories, this still applies. By giving information, such as character backstory, motives, world-building features that are relevant to the plot etc, you are stringing the reader along and keeping them invested.
If every chapter serves to progress the plot, then this can be done by revealing information. Give away a glimpse of your play before laying your hand and winning the game.
💡The 'Floating Outline'
Now, you may be saying, "That's easier said than done. How do I actually do it?" and to that, I reply that you are right. It is easier said than done. It takes a lot of practice to do this well. However, there are some tools and strategies that I have found that help.
One in particular that I have picked up on is the 'floating outline.' I first saw this used by fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson, and I expanded on it after reading a few books on writing.
The point of the floating outline is to answer three questions:
- What happens in this scene?
- What makes it important/what details are being revealed?
- What makes this exciting for the reader?
By attempting to answer these questions, it should hopefully give you an idea for the focus of the scene. It also might reveal to you that you can completely drop certain scenes or even chapters. It can be a brutal way to chop down your work, but it serves to make sure your writing isn't bloated or unnecessary.
Not only does the floating outline make it easier to understand whether you are giving information to the reader, but by answering the final of the three questions, it gets you to think about how to make the writing exciting and decide how you can make the chapter a reader's favorite.
That's all from me today,
Fin :)
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