Father's Day and Severed Fingers

This week has flown by for me. I have to keep reminding myself that today is indeed Friday and not Thursday. In writing we tend to ignore pace. That's right the pace of the book can make or break a book. If every detail is described, every accent marked, every single item of the scene is narrated then the pages are going to creep by for the reader. Have you ever read a book and thought, "I don't really care what color the freaking shoe laces are." Unless it pushes the story forward or helps define a moment or your character skip it.

It is true that details help in filling the page, but a heap of detail is over kill. A lot of detail can drag a scene till it's crawling along at a snail's pace. If it is a fast paced action scene make sure to include only the most needed details. If the scene is a slower one be sure to include some extra details.

Lets say the scene is one where a lady is doing her son's laundry. His washing machine is broke and she is doing a 35 year old man's laundry out of the kindness of her heart. As she is taking jeans out of the washer a severed finger falls out of a pocket. In this scene we could add detail to slow the scene down. Maybe have some of her thoughts about her opinion of her sons buying expensive designer jeans. Build the scene so that the discovery of the finger is not only a shock to the mother, but also to the reader. Towards the end of the scene we could speed things along by noting her increased heart rate, maybe she gets ill, and of course her thoughts on what to do with the finger.

I try to place myself in the situation. What would I do if I found a severed finger in my washer? As your Friends and family for what their reactions would be. It helps to see what the common reaction would be. From their reactions you can gage what the pace would be. Would time stand still for a moment? Would they race out of the laundry room? I would most likely take a photo of it. That's a once in a lifetime chance. I seriously doubt there will ever be another severed finger in my washer again.

Remember that your word selection can help in the pace to. The right word makes all the difference. Read what you have wrote aloud. If it sounds funny and you don't intend it to sound funny try rephrasing it. Keep doing that till it sounds right. A sentence that flows right is a beautiful thing.

This weekend is a Holiday weekend. Sunday is Father's Day! Tell the man in your life you love him and make sure to buy him a book. Have a great weekend, and don't forget the sunscreen!