Don't think of "speed" when you hear pace. Think of "suspense" . . . . or "tension" - or whatever word you like best that means "the reader still has questions." If an agent says that a manuscript isn't "paced right," she's saying that the book lacks suspense. And without suspense, you're sunk - hence, it's a big problem.
WHAT IS SUSPENSE?
(I know this sounds elementary, but just give me a minute here.)
Suspense (tension - whatever you prefer to call it) is what drives a novel. It's what makes the reader sit on the edge of their seat and wonder what's going to happen next.
A lot of writers work tirelessly to develop a seamless plot and bigger-than-life characters - only to be devastated when their manuscript is rejected. It's wretched, I know, but it doesn't matter how amazing the plot or characters are if the reader won't turn the page.
So how does a writer create suspense? That's where pace comes in.
WHAT IS THIS ELUSIVE "PACE" YOU SPEAK OF?
Pace is basically how the writer unravels her plot, and she creates suspense largely by the pace she chooses. This is a very important concept: A writer creates suspense by how she paces her novel.
That is why pace is so important and why it's often a problem in manuscripts.
AN EXAMPLE
Rowling is a master of creating suspense and that's because she knows how to pace. A good example is Chapter 3 in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, "The Letters from No One." In this chapter, Rowling has Harry get his first piece of mail ever, but his Uncle Vernon is determined to prevent him from reading it.
First, Rowling has to convince the reader that this letter is even worthy of suspense. Here's how she does it:
1. She spends the previous two chapters making sure that the reader gets attached to Harry. The more attached a reader is to a character, the more they'll want to know what happens to them. Poor Harry gets his first letter ever and his toad of an uncle won't let him have it. The reader is empathetic and turns the page, hoping the author sticks it to the old man.2. Rowling makes a big deal out of the letter. Suspense is proportionate to the importance of the event. This is another very important concept: Suspense is proportionate to the importance of the event. If the reader isn't aware that something is important, they're not going to care how it turns out. How does Rowling let her reader know that this letter is a big deal?
a) This is Harry's first letter - ever. Remember when you were a kid and got your first real piece of mail? It was exciting.b) It's not just any old letter. It's unique. It's made of thick, yellow parchment; the address is written with emerald-green ink; it has a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms, and the addresser knows exactly where he lives: "Mr. H. Potter, The Cupboard under the Stairs."c) The most important part is Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia's reaction. It was a genius move of Rowling to prevent Harry from reading the letter but still have him watch the faces of his uncle and aunt. ("[Uncle Vernon's] face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.") Even better was when she had Harry listen at the kitchen door while they discussed it. ("I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?")
Now that Rowling has conveyed to the reader the importance of the letter, how does she carry that suspense through the rest of the chapter? This is where pace comes in.
PACING
What if Rowling just had Harry go to bed and open his letter the next day? Talk about a buzz kill.
Or what if she didn't reveal the contents of the mysterious letter until halfway through the book? The suspense - and her audience - would've petered out a long time ago.
That's what it means when a manuscript isn't "paced right." So what is the right pace? Unfortunately (and fortunately), there's no scientific answer to that question because, when it comes down to it, writing is still an art. You figure it out along the way by watching how others have succeeded in the past, and then you practice it . . . a lot.
Here are 3 ways Rowling paced the chapter to build up the most suspense:
1. She wrote 8 quick, consecutive scenes (totaling 10 pages) that were solely focused on Harry trying to get his hands on that letter. These short bursts of action coupled with its narrow focus keep the reader interested and on the edge of their seat ("just one more page," they think).2. The scenes get progressively longer and more elaborate as the reader gets more invested in the outcome; she's snowballing the suspense (but the last scene is still only 3 pages - short and direct).3. Rowling has Uncle Vernon go to more and more desperate measures to thwart Harry. Eventually the family ends up in a dilapidated shack . . . on a rock island . . . in the middle of the sea . . . during a storm. This extreme setting only adds to the suspense because the reader more than ever wants Harry to get his letter, but it's never seemed more fruitless. (Success is more rewarding when the obstacles leading up to it are greater.)
WARNING!
If you build up something this much, you had better be ready to deliver. It's true that you can lose your reader by not having enough suspense, but it's just as risky to pile on truckloads of it only to give a ho-hum ending. Notice that when Rowling finally lets the reader see the letter, she doesn't just give them the letter. She has it delivered by a literal giant who not only comes crashing through the door but also magically puts a pig's tail on Dudley's rear end.
NOW WHAT?
Now that Rowling has successfully ended the reader's suspense about the letter, where does she go come from here? How does she get her reader to turn the page to Chapter 4?
That's for the next post - Pacing Part 2.
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