The Problem of Pacing

No, I don't mean the act of walking back and forth. (That's more of a solution than a problem, actually.) I'm talking about an important element of fiction: pacing. That is, how fast your novel is going and how you're propelling it.

Books like Andrew Klavan's "The Last Thing I Remember" have fast pacing. The Lord of the Rings is an example of slow pacing. (Lots of twentieth and nineteenth-century books are slow-paced, actually.) Determining the pace of your novel is a crucial element to keeping your readers interested.

Recently, though, I've been hearing more and more that books need to be fast-paced in order to be good. Today's reader is a busy person, so you NEED to catch their attention with something like a sudden murder or death by grizzly or some other plot device. (Daniel Schwabauer, in his One Year Adventure Novel curriculum, suggests dropping a body out of the ceiling when the goings get tough.)

At first glance, that seems true. If your novel isn't moving, people will get bored, right? Books like the popular Hunger Games are very fast-paced and thus lend to this myth.

Thing is, you sacrifice certain things when you focus on fast pacing. Here's a couple of examples.

1) Character-Building

Now, this isn't to say that you can't have good, round characters and a fast plot. But when your plot is going at the speed of sound, it's a LOT harder to build strong, believable characters. Some of the greatest character-building moments are when two characters are sitting around the fire and talking. And they're really not doing much at all during that time, are they?

Is that boring? No, if you do it right. In fact, a conversation that's essential to the plot and the characters at the same time is MORE interesting than running for dear life through some random forest. We want to unravel each character's secrets and discover what they're really like behind their masks. But it's hard to have a meaningful conversation when you're running around all the time.

2) Description

One thing that the Christian fantasy author Bryan Davis noted about the Hunger Games was that there wasn't much description. That's very true: because in order to have a fast-paced scene, you have to have minimal description. Description slows things down. (I've especially encountered this in my revisions of The War Horn. It's HARD to balance the pacing of crucial scenes and the description needed.)

So what about this? Is description boring? I think it's a necessary element. (Some might say "necessary evil".) There's such a thing as over-describing, but I think far too many books UNDER-describe. Without description, the reader loses the beauty of immersing themselves in a new world, and it makes things harder to imagine. Sometimes we must sacrifice pacing in order to describe, and that's okay.

3) Theme

Things are going, going, going—there's a murder here, death attempt there, and pretty soon you're flying to the end of the book. You turn the last page, take a breath, and what happens? Not too much.

You can balance meaning and pacing. But it's hard. A truly beautiful theme may come out of a book that took the time (and cut the pacing) to expand that theme. The White Lion Chronicles comes to mind. Many readers may complain that the beginning of the series was painfully slow, but that background was essential to building the theme and the characters before diving into the fast-paced stuff.

Of course, it also depends on the novel. Lord of the Rings is an epic—the very word conjures images of thick, heavy books. Thrillers, however, are supposed to have fast pacing. Still, whatever kind of novel you're writing, you need to determine the balance of power between pacing and the other elements of story.

So here's my advice. If you've made a scene slow on purpose, then stick to it, even when someone criticizes it. Just say, "Psh tosh." (That's my favorite phrase right now. Does anyone else use favorite phrases?) Fast pacing is good, but NOT at the expense of the theme, the characters, and the description.

What do you think? What do you say about the problem of pacing?

Until another day.

How to Meet Me in Five Easy Steps

Step One: Buy The War Horn.
Step Two: Buy the One Year Adventure Novel (OYAN) curriculum, if you don't own it already.
Step Three: Do the OYAN curriculum.
Step Four: Sign up for the OYAN Summer Workshop.
Step Five: Go to the OYAN Summer Workshop.

The reason step one is there is because The War Horn is funding my quest to go to the Workshop. ^_^  If I can somehow get two thousand dollars...I'll be there!

So!  I've got news.

First and foremost, I received an email from Amazon shortly after I published my last post on The War Horn. In short, they gave me the go-ahead for The War Horn.  (In length, they said that *I* couldn't publish it on my parents' account, but my parents could publish it on my behalf.  Which is the same thing. XD)

So I've been working on The War Horn, and I'm hoping to have my parents and also pre-readers be reading it by mid-January or sooner, so we'll see.  Right now I'm doing some research to make my historically inaccurate novel more accurate.

I have, however, come up with a few plot kinks that need working out.  Because I had received numerous critiques of my opening scene (and I rather agreed with them) I cut it and I'm working on finding another one. But it's difficult, since the novel (after the scene I cut) opens with my character waking up.  Which is not a good place to start a novel.  It's positively boring.

See, the problem with my novel is, it gets steadily better in terms of plot/excitement/stakes as the novel goes on.  If my readers stop at the first chapter, they won't realize what they're missing.  So I need to do something to really catch their attention - BUT, I *need* to start at the beginning.  Which is normal life.  So I'm going to work on two things.

1) Questions.  I'm going to raise a few questions in the first chapter and work with my monologue so that, even though the questions aren't particularly intense, they'll want to keep reading.

2) Prose.  I'm hoping to establish an easily-readable writing style that draws the reader in.  Because there's certain books you read that just draw you in if only for the writing style, right?  Mark Twain's work, for instance, is epic because he writes in such a clear voice that it's a joy to read the most boring of things.

However, I think I've pretty much gotten my research covered, so I'll be moving on from that to working on the first chapter.

So, writers, how's your writing coming along?  Written anything you're particularly proud of lately?

And, on a completely different note:

^The official trailer for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey", coming out in December 2012.

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

2012 is far too long to wait!  I can't stand it! D:  It doesn't help that I'm rewatching Lord of the Rings, either.  This trailer is, in one word, EPIC.

What do you think of it?

Talk to you later, and remember to check out the rather important poll on my sidebar.  And thank you to those who have already voted!

Various Newses

No, I have no idea why I added an extra "es" top, and no, I'm not related to Gollum, and no, I haven't been reading Lord of the Rings.

Questions done?  Good.  No?

No, we haven't left yet for Africa.  I'll post before we do, be sure about that, even if it's a 50-word post. :)  I'll keep you informed.

In the meantime, I still love Kansas and Cheez-Its and Doctor Who.  And writing. 

Kansas! 

I wish these were conveniently and accidentally dropped off at my house. ^_^

Stetsons are cool!

And speaking of writing, all I've been writing of late are geometry proofs (technically, I'm filling in the blanks) and essays.  Blech.  

Hold it, I tell a lie. O_o  I have written five hundred words or so in a modest little story I'm writing in my spare time.  It's a fantasy tale in a world called who-knows-what.  (No, that's not the name.  Call it that and I'll get out my Cheez-It cannon.)

In the meantime, I've been watching Doctor Who and doing a lot of schoolwork.  The series finale of Doctor Who is actually next week. (I am SO. EXCITED. GAH!)

Also, I wish to inform you that the Director at Castles, Quills, and Cameras is having a giveaway!  This most excellent blogger is giving away two books; one of which I can attest to being a great read. :)  Here's the link to the giveaway post.  

And...well, I've run out of things to blog about. O_o  Ask me questions, folks.  Maybe I'll have a Q & A post next time.  It'll at least give me something to blog about. ;)  

See ya later, friends!  Write well, and may your ink stay full!

I'll leave you with one last quote:  "He who laughs last thinks the slowest."

Writing Lessons from Sam

FRODO: I can’t do this, Sam.

SAM: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here, but we are. 

It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?

But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.

FRODO: What are we holding on to, Sam?

SAM: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

[The actual speech from the movie can be found here.  It's a lot more emotional, so I'd encourage you to watch it first before reading the post.]

--

I love Sam's Speech.  It's one of my favorite scenes in Lord of the Rings (save for the Battle of Pelennor Fields).  Something about darkness, light, stories—they meld together and create something utterly compelling to me.  And Sam's speech—in the middle of the destruction of Osgiliath—expresses this perfectly.

Amidst this speech are some great points.  The speech is chock full of meaning, and it is especially  meaningful for writers.  I agree with Sam wholeheartedly: the best stories (like Lord of the Rings) are full of darkness. Danger.  The characters had a choice to go back, but they didn't.  And they held on to something.

But since I don't have time to write a full-blown post about the wonders of this speech (and believe me, I could write one), I thought I'd ask you a question, dear reader.  What do you see in this speech?  What moves you?  What do you think you can take from these words and apply in your writing?  What kind of stuff do you see regarding great stories?

Take a few lessons from Sam.  He knows what he's talking about.

By the way, if you haven't already, stop by my giveaway.  Good stuff happening over there. :)  It ends in less than a week, so hurry and enter!

The Art of Epic

The Charge of the Rohirrim on Pelennor Fields is my favorite scene in the Lord of the Rings movie--and in the book.  Recall, if you will, that scene.

Clouds of darkness hangs over Minas Tirith, from the Dark Lord Sauron--and Minas Tirith is burning, as viewed from atop a hill near Minas Tirith.

A horn sounds, lone and challenging. The Orcs turn at the sound.

Atop that very hill, a host of riders stands defiantly, the rising sun to their backs, shining behind them. "Now for wrath," the king cries, "Now for ruin!  And for the red dawn!"

When you see this part, as the Riders of Rohan cry "Death!" and charge down the hill, though there is little hope against the might of Mordor, your blood is roused--your heart cries "Death!" with them, and you cheer them on as they charge to death.

Twang!  The arrows fire from Mordor's forces, pelting the Rohirrim--and yet they stand.  They ride.  And they do not waver.

The Orcs fire at will, fear showing on their faces, but the Rohirrim, the blinding sun shining from behind them, and a fearless cry upon their lips, do not falter--and the forces of Mordor are devastated by their triumphant assault.

Why are these things so epic?  Why do our hearts rise  up in wonder and awe at the EPICNESS of it all?  I shall attempt to bring ye an answer in this post.

What is the most epic thing you have ever read?  Why was it so epic?

Take a look at this following excerpt from Return of the King (the book):

"A smell of burning was in the air and a very shadow of death.  The horses were uneasy.  But the king sat upon Snowmane, motionless, gazing upon the agony of Minas Tirith, as if stricken suddenly by anguish, or by dread.  He seemed to shrink down, cowed by age,.  Merry himself felt as if a great weight of horror and doubt had settled on him.  His heart beat slowly.  Time seemed poised in uncertainty.  They were too late!  Too late was worse than never!  Perhaps Théoden would quail, bow his old head, turn, slink away to hide in the hills. 

Then suddenly Merry felt it at last, beyond doubt: a change.  Wind was in his face!  Light was glimmering.  Far, far away, in the South the clouds could be dimly seen as remote grey shapes, rolling up, drifting: morning lay beyond them.   

But at that same moment there was a flash, as if lightning had sprung from the earth beneath the City.  For a searing second it stood dazzling far off in black and white, its topmost tower like a glittering needle; and then as the darkness closed in again there came rolling over the fields a great boom. 

At that sound the bent shape of the king sprang suddenly erect.  Tall and proud he seemed again and rising in his stirrups he cried in a loud voice, more clear than any there had heard a mortal man achieve before: 

Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden!  

Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter! 

spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered, 

 a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises!

Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!" 

With that he seized a great horn from Guthláf his banner-bearer, and he blew such a blast upon it that it burst asunder. And straightaway all the horns in the host were lifted up in music, and the blowing of the horns of Rohan in that hour was like a storm upon the plain and a thunder in the mountains. 

Ride now, ride now!  Ride to Gondor! 

Suddenly the king cried to Snowmane and the horse sprang away.  Behind him his banner blew in the wind, white horse upon a field of green, but he outpaced it.  After him thundered the knights of his house, but he was ever before them.  Éomer rode there, the white horsetail on his helm floating in his speed, and the front of the first éored roared like a breaker foaming to the shore, but Théoden could not be overtaken.  Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young.  His golden shield was uncovered, and lo! it shone like an image of the Sun, and the grass flamed into green around the white feet of his steed. For morning came, morning and wind from the sea, and darkness was removed, and the hosts of Mordor wailed, and terror took them, and they fled, and died, and the hoofs of wrath rode over them."

Can you see why I love this part? :)

Now, there are several things that I glean from such passages as these that make things epic, which rouse your blood and make you want to charge out and fight for what is good and right.

The Reason

An important thing readers need to know about is the reason why characters fight, why they do what they do.  Do they do it for glory?  Fame?  Or honor?  For their families?  If a reader knows the reason why, they'll understand your character better, and they will understand why the character fights.  And the reader will respect your character for that--providing the character fights for an honorable reason or cause.  But still the reason for the season isn't the real juice of what makes a reader's blood stir.

The Odds

Have you ever read a fantasy book where the good guys outnumber the bad guy ten to one, and win easily?  Of course not.  Readers cheer for the underdog, the character who is at a disadvantage but fights on nonetheless.  This is clearly shown in the above scene: the Rohirrim are vastly outnumbered.  The Orcs are burning Minas Tirith, and for a moment a fleeting thought of going back is set in the minds of the characters: but they do not.  They go ahead and fight for what they believe, fearless and fey.  So make the odds uneven, and the reader will cheer for you and your character even more.

The Description

This is an important, crucial point: if the writer cannot write the description properly, the entire operation will fail.  What if Tolkien wrote that scene like this?

"The Rohirrim thought about going back, but then the king went on anyway, and blew up a horn by blowing into it.  He sang a poem, and then they charged downward and destroyed the Orcs."

Absolutely not!  Rousing description is half of the job.  You can have all of the other elements, but if the description isn't top-notch and as good as it can be, the scene will be worthless--description is imperative.  There is little advice I can give to you on the subject of rousing description, save that you should read as much of it as you can, so some of that might leak into your own writing.

The Moral

The last element that can be put in an epic scene is the moral.  Sacrifice, heroism, light versus darkness--all are a 'moral'.  The moral is ultimately the root of the emotion in an epic scene.  You marvel at the sacrifice and fearless heroism of the Rohirrim as they charge down, crying "Death!" with no heed for their own lives, to try and rescue the lives of others--coming to the aid of Gondor at last.

Conclusion

So now you've learned all of these things about epic writing.  Epic description--epic scenes.  But ultimately, the epic comes from you and from God, through you.  You can write emotion, sacrifice, and epic scenes, but it doesn't come from just writing.  It comes from writing for God.  Through you.  That is the real root of epic, the reason why the Final Storm by Wayne Thomas Batson makes you marvel, the reason why the Bones of Makaidos makes tears well up in your eyes, the reason why your heart soars as the Rohirrim charge.



[Please note that all images in this post are not mine and may be copyrighted by someone else.  *shrug*  At any rate, I just got them off Google. ;) ]

And the Winner is...

Right as we speak, my mouse is lingering on the 'Generate' button on Random.org. In just a moment I will push the button...and the winner will be revealed. :)

But first I must build up the tension, the anticipation. Whoever wins will thank me for it later. ;)

So--what's at stake here?


According to Amazon, a The Lord of the Rings Boxed Set Ballantine Books (1977). Here's the picture again--to tantalize you. :D

I'm looking at it now--I love the color illustrations, which were actually painted by J. R. R. Tolkien.

It's rather shiny and golden, don't you think? :D

Okay, I'll do it...

Pushing the button...

Now...

Okay, I've got the winner. :) What do you mean I have to tell you? I do? Aw... ;)

So the winner is Nathan R. Petrie! Congrats! If you wish to claim your prize (why did you enter if you don't? :D), then you can email your address to me and I'll send it to ya ASAP. :D Again, congrats!

Lord of the Rings Giveaway Trivia; Part Four

***Confused at what's happening at Teenage Writer or looking for the giveaway? Read about it here.

This is the last trivia question. Or is it? Actually, the last TWO. There's a bonus question. :)

As for the first one;

"What was the name of Frodo's mother?"

The next question is a bonus, and, like the others, cannot be answered if you have already answered a trivia question correctly.

"Where are the current locations of all seven of the palantiri at the end of LOTR?"

HINT; You can find most of the locations in the Appendixes of Return of the King, and the other locations are scattered throughout LOTR.

Once these questions are guessed, I'll announce the winner within the next couple of days. :)

Happy guessing! :D


*****UPDATE 6:19 P.M.********
The bonus question is still unanswered! Go ahead and guess! :)

Lord of the Rings Giveaway Trivia; Part Three

*****Looking for the Giveaway, or would like to find out more about it? Click here. Keep in mind, though, that the dates stated in that post no longer apply. :)

All right, it's time for part three of the LOTR Trivia! Here's the question;

"How many Orcs (and other enemies) did Gimli slay in comparison to Legolas during the Battle of Helm's Deep?" (i.e. How many did Gimli slay and how many did Legolas slay?)

Beware--unless my memory betrays me, the answer from the LOTR movies is different than the answer from the books.

Guess to your heart's delight, my friends! :D

We'll see if the next question is answered in a timely manner. I plan for it to be the hardest. :D

Lord of the Rings Giveaway Trivia; Part Two

Hey, guys and gals, I'm sorry I couldn't continue the Trivia as planned--I had completely forgotten I was leaving early for a family reunion. :) I may or may not be able to post due to lack of internet, but never fear--the giveaway shall go on! :D

To read about the giveaway (though the dates no longer apply), you can click here.

Now, for today's question...

"What are all of the names of Aragorn?"

HINT; There are seven that are the answers, but there may have been more.

Guess away! :D

Lord of the Rings Giveaway Trivia, Part One

****Looking for the giveaway? Click here to learn more about the giveaway and read the rules on how to get in on it.

LOTR trivia part one, everyone! For those of you who don't know or are hazy on the details of the rules on this, here it goes;

1) The first person who gets the question right gets one extra entry into the giveaway. If you don't know how to get regular entries into the giveaway, see my giveaway post.

2) If that person also gets it without searching in the book, he or she gets an EXTRA extra entry--i. e. two entries. Please be truthful when answering. :)

3) If you answer and receive an entry or two, you can't answer trivia again. Only one or two extra entries per person.

And it's also worth noting that all of the questions will be from the book, so please don't answer from the movie. :)

With that behind us, we can begin!

And for today's question...

"What was to be seen in the palantir of Minas Tirith after the Battle of Pelennor Fields?"

[HINT; The palantiri were those shiny balls of Sight that one could contact other people and see far things in. Saruman had one in Orthanc until Gandalf took it.]

Good luck, and keep your copies of LOTR close at hand! I'll be posting again tomorrow.

Let the guessing begin!

NOTE; If you find this too hard, then just mention it. >:) I may lower the difficulty if needed.