“Pacing the Plot of Your Novel or Short Story” with John Pipkin

Does your story move too fast or too slow–or sometimes both at different times?

Writers often make the mistake of assuming that the only way to improve the pace of a story is to make as much stuff happen as quickly as possible. But a well-paced story is one in which the narrative unfolds at the speed and rhythm that the characters, scenes, and themes require. And pacing is determined not just by what happens but by the mechanics of how the story is being told, sentence by sentence. Sometimes, decisions as simple as word choice can have a profound effect on the pace of a story.

In this class, participants will examine the characteristics of successful pacing and study some basic strategies for helping their story develop at the rhythm that feels well-suited to the plot. The class will also identify some of the sign-posts that can indicate pacing problems in a story and how to handle these issues in the revision stage.

TAKE THIS CLASS IF

You’re writing a novel or short story.
You want to better understand how to achieve the right pace for your story.
You’re in the revision process for a novel and short story and know you have pacing problems but don’t know how to fix them.
You want to ratchet up the tension in your work without adding in countless cliffhangers.
You want the high points of your plot to really wallop the reader.

The deadline to register for this class is Wednesday, October 11 at 5:00 PM CDT.