Hello, I would like to ask the advice of other writers on this site to help me fix my largest flaw- my writing is to fast paced. Any advice to fix the problem?
Last edited by Authorian on Thu Jul 10, 2014 1:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. A man who does not read has only one life, and even that he may not live
You shouldn’t really get discouraged (or even read your writing) before you actually finish writing it. You can’t expect everything to be perfect from the start and you can’t fix it if you don’t have something to work with.
As for too fast pacing in general, you can focus more on descriptions, or make your sentences longer on average. Include a quiet moment or have the characters think (if it’s first person). Too fast usually means too many things happening too closely in the plot, so you might want to go back and think on your story line some more too. Draw out a timeline and fill in the action to imagine the story better, then tweak the plot, move some things apart, remove others, rearrange your action, that kind of thing.
To second what MaryEvans wrote, your best chance is detail. More specifically, the setting. Link it to your character's mood. Rain, shadows, undusted bookshelves ... show us, don't tell us.
Try isolating narration from dialogue, too. You don't want to toss too much on your reader.
