In this video we'll talk about story pacing in sequels. Pacing isn't about real time, it's about the readers perception of time. Jeff Beckham talks about this in his book writing novels that sell page 120. JACK says when something conflict is happening, the reader reads faster. Therefore, the long sequence which might require a lot of reader time, may seem to the reader to go at lightning speed and may seem to require no time at all. On the other hand, says become moments of meditation and review those bridging sequels that I mentioned, tend to read more slowly.

Therefore, even a relatively short sequel passage may give the reader the effect of slowing down passing a lot of time. pacing is about how you handle time in your novel storytime that 3.5 months in In my novel The touch of love versus writer time, the three months approximately that it took me to write the book, which is invisible to the reader. reader time, the three hours or so the reader spends reading those hundred and 87 pages. But that time might fly by my drag. How do you how do you balance this? If you the storyteller, spend a week working on a scene that actually takes two hours of your characters lives.

You've spent a week of writer time to create two hours of storytime. You the creator may feel that you've been writing this scene forever, and there's no end to it. When are you going to get it right? But in fact, even though it takes the reader perhaps 10 to 20 minutes to read what it took you a week to write that relationship is irrelevant to anyone would you forget about it, give the book whatever time it needs, you've got to get it where it has to be. What's left is the relationship between storytime and reader time. Ideally, your story will be composed of several fast paced scenes with sequels between the sequels form a bridge between scenes and give the reader time to get her breath.

In sequels the viewpoint character often contemplates what's just happened, and forms a strategy strategy to adjust for new challenges that have developed. This is very similar to what we humans do after distressing or unexpected scenes in our lives. Always remember that the reader sensation of movement fast and slow is what counts not the days gone by in storytime. on patient it one of the touch of love several days go by in less than a page, but the pace feels slow. The readers heartbeat has slowed down I'm sure after the love scene between melody Scott, I achieve the slow pace by slipping into narrative mixed with melodies intersection, telling about events rather than showing them but briefly telling, trying to keep the mood and tone of the story, while showing only glimpses of the time passing. Because the reader feels storytime passing without many sensations, the emotional plate pace is slow.

Here's the passage. Melody wanted to go to Hawaii to meet Robin that's her brother the baby's father, but she hesitated to take the baby with her. Scott had had trouble with Robbie on the ferry. If the baby got seasick, he might well get airsick to Scott, when would his name on her mind turn to something ordinary instead of leaving her with this trembling emptiness. Melody wanted to meet Robin in Hawaii but could not accept the idea of leaving Robbie behind with Mrs. Winston. housekeeper had not been very much of a mother substitute for melody and Robin.

Maybe Robbie was too small to notice, but he'd already lost his mother. He needed stability. But to tell Robin about Donna's death on the telephone, the baby started screaming just before noon, the day after Scott left, Melody realized that her concept of time was changing that life was organized into before Scott came when Scott was here. And after Scott left, he was the lover in her dreams and her songs. Jeff turned up just as Robbie started screaming. This is a bridge between the scene where hero and heroine make love and the next significant event, a couple of days of paths.

Take a look at what's happened here. It feels slow. I created that slow emotional pace by drawing back a little from my heroines viewpoint in the kiss And the making gloves seen I had details of what she saw what she felt and what she touched. I backed off. I tell you she wanted to go to Hawaii explain why without showing you the details of the days when that decision was made. I tell you, the housekeeper hasn't been much of a mother substitute for a melody and her brother, which hints that a whole sequence of events in those children's lives when they were children, without actually letting the reader see the events.

This is narrative. I'm stepping back and telling you what's happening to distance you from the emotions a little to give you a break between the emotional significant scenes. I do it by changing my focus by taking my camera lens and shifting it to wide angle. In one page. You see a glimpse of years of Melody's childhood days of time when she does not quote her Why were her friend when her friend comes to visit her friend Jeff, I'm telling you, and all these things happen all this time past, but because you don't see the details, it doesn't feel quick. For you, the story has slowed down, you're taking a breath and I'm using the opportunity to fill in a few background details about melodies life for the reader.

In the next lesson, we'll look at more pacing techniques for the writer. Thanks for watching, and I look forward to seeing you in the next video.