Today on the Go Teen Writers Book Club, we’re discussing “Fluidity,” chapter seventeen of Story Trumps Structure by Steven James.

Chapter Recap:
Mr. James defines “fluidity” as “the interplay of pace, flow, narrative time, and flashbacks.” It’s basically how all the pieces of the story flow together naturally and at what speed they progress. Genre plays a role in pacing; however, the pacing at the climax of any story should be the fastest-moving, most intense part of your book.

Problems come when your pacing is too slow or too fast and readers get frustrated. Whenever readers get frustrated, authors lose because frustrated readers are dissatisfied readers, and dissatisfied readers don’t buy more of that author’s books.

When you’re a new writer, this can be a desperately difficult concept to understand. You’re just working so hard to get in all the important information that you often don’t notice when things are unrealistic or stalling your pacing in a huge way.

If you’re writing a rough draft, I wouldn’t stress about pacing and fluidity. Just write. But if you’re in the rewriting stage, that’s the time to take a look at how your scenes run together and how much time they’re taking.

Some tips from Mr. James:
-Time should pass at the same pace for every point of view in the story.
-Events should happen in a logical amount of time. They shouldn’t take too long or happen too fast.
-Avoid letting your characters monologue. This happens often with villains near the end of the story, where they feel the need to explain their entire motivation. Fight it. Don’t let them take over. Only reveal what is necessary in that scene. Let the rest of it come out in other places. Also, don’t let your hero think long monologue-like thoughts that last way longer than the action should take. Keep those thoughts short and sweet.
-The more time your story spans, the less urgency it will contain.
-The more point of view characters you have, the less time your novel can take.
-If you are switching back and forth between different points of view, make sure that the action and the time match from scene to scene. All of your story lines need to escalate in a similar manner so that you don’t tempt readers to skip chapters.

What Stood Out:
Flashbacks interrupt the flow of your story. Better to glance in the rear-view mirror than travel back in time.

This makes so much sense to me. I’ve done both in my writing, but if someone cuts off my character in traffic, rather than doing a huge flashback to his childhood, I can simply, and briefly, have him think something like:

Rage rushed upon him, taking him back to his childhood, when his stepbrother used to take cuts, take his food, take credit for his hard work. He pounded the horn, enraged at anyone so selfish and inconsiderate of the feelings of others.

Tip of the Week:

“Make it as easy as possible for your reader to follow your story. You do the hard work so they don’t have to.” ~Steven James

Go Teen Writers Archived Articles to Help You Go Deeper:
Pacing and Description
#WeWriteBooks, Post 23: Pacing
Flashbacks and Backstory
To Flashback or Not To Flashback?

Questions:
• Where do you struggle with pacing and fluidity?
• How do you feel about flashbacks?
• Any questions?