Pacing Your Story: How to Keep Your Reader Turning Those Pages

In Lorrie Porter’s blog This Craft Called Writing, she discusses the elements of pacing and how to keep readers turning the pages. No matter what genre you write, these are basics that will help you craft better scenes in your fiction, and I’m excited to share them with you. Take it away, Lorrie:

I was fortunate to be asked to assist with a lecture at Salford University earlier this year, with the wonderful Gill James, and was very impressed with the standard of writing craft being taught. I’m sure Gill won’t mind if I share a little of what we all learned on the subject of Pace; or, How to Keep Your Reader Turning those Pages.

Danger – This may seem obvious, but let the reader see the danger. They need to know the worst that could happen so they’ll worry more that it might.

* If the mare didn’t keep moving, the wolves would bring it down by the throat, same as they would a forest deer.

Risk taking – Actions and decisions taken by the protagonist create . . . (read more)

Thanks again to Lorrie Porter for her insightful look at pacing. Can you add anything to the list?

Happy Writing, Candace

Image courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Related articles

• Setting the Pace: Increasing Dramatic Tension (lorrieporter.wordpress.com)
• How to cut a novel (and enjoy it) (nailyournovel.wordpress.com)