Yes, those links are very helpful. Thank you! 😀

I do have one question, but it’s not on pacing so I won’t ask it here. I’ll put it in the comments section of that first link you provided. Thanks!

Happy to contribute to everyone’s understanding, Lyall! 🙂

Hi Amy,

Yes! You understand correctly. Dwight Swain’s perspective on sequels is about a character reflecting — such as thinking about why they failed and coming up with a new or tweaked goal. So while not every slower paced section would be a sequel, many of them would be.

I have a post about scenes and sequels (and when sequels might count as their own slower-paced scene in their own right) that might be helpful: https://jamigold.com/2019/08/how-can-we-make-scenes-feel-stronger-with-sequels/

And this post about scene and/or sequels endings is good for understanding how a strong ending helps our whole story (and pace) feel strong: https://jamigold.com/2017/12/how-to-create-scene-endings-that-hook-readers/

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. 🙂

Hi Dawn,

I wrote about how we can make sure every element has a purpose in this follow up post. 🙂
https://jamigold.com/2020/03/story-elements-give-them-purpose/

What you said at the end about speeding up or slowing down the pace reminded me of Dwight Swain’s scene-sequel structure, where scene is action and sequel is the more “thoughtful” reaction to the action. Scene ends with a disaster, sequel with a decision, and together they provide the variety in pacing that keeps readers turning pages. Hopefully. 🙂 I’m still new to the idea and just trying it out, though I’m not sure yet how to apply it to a novel with two POVs.

Do you use this structure, or something similar, to control pacing?

Hi Dawn,

That’s a great question! I actually have an Elements of a Good Scene worksheet/checklist on my site (https://jamigold.com/for-writers/worksheets-for-writers/) that can help us make sure that an overall scene is pulling its weight. But as you said, sometimes it’s harder to know if all the sections, paragraphs, or sentences of a scene are doing their part as well.

Let me ponder, and look for a follow up post on my site (maybe even tomorrow). 🙂

Hi Kay,

Yes! It’s often easier to think about story elements in analogy form, and that’s a great insight with a symphony analogy. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂

I think of a novel as a symphony made of up words. The story may ebb and flow but it has an underlying theme. The things you describe as elements of pace (e.g., goals, structure, obstacles) could be thought of as the instruments that drive the pace and tempo. (There’s a story in here somewhere.😊)