Figuring Out Where Your Pacing Went Wrong

Photo by Jason Ilagan (cc)Last week I received the edits back on my third book, FALL INTO YOU, from my editor. Those emails are always a little scary to open. You pretty much say the "please don't hate it, please don't hate it" prayer a few times before you click.

And so far, I've been pretty lucky. My edits for the previous books have been relatively minor (though CRASH went through a pretty major edit with my dear agent before we sold it.) But this time I had a feeling it was going to be bigger stuff. Mainly because this is the book I struggled with at the beginning of the year (and was late on deadline with.) I *knew* something wasn't quite right but I was too deep in it to be able to see what that something was. And that's why we thank the writing gods for a fabulous editor.

So what did my lovely editor have to say? Basically--I love this story. It's fabulous...after I get through the first third. The first part is slow and you need to figure out how to get to this, this, and that faster. Get rid of stuff.

There were some other things--making my heroine more sympathetic, building more chemistry early on, etc. But the major issue seemed to be PACING.

And pacing is one of those things that can be really overwhelming to look at because it's such a big picture thing--the pacing of an entire story arc. Most of my problem is that I keep insisting on putting in suspense subplots, which trips me up because I have to plant information and set up things for that AND the romance, which can bog down a beginning.

So when I got these edits, I had a week to fix everything, rewrite a good portion of the beginning, and get my pacing in check. After eating some chocolate and a few deep breaths, I sat down to tackle the issues. How was i going to figure out where the pacing had gone awry?

Well, as most of you know if you follow this blog, I'm a Save the Cat fan when it comes to story structure. I find screenplay structures make sense to me. So I took out my Save the Cat Beat sheet and looked at the turning points. The nice thing about the Beat Sheet is it gives you page numbers for where this turning point should happen in a 110-pg. screenplay. (To apply these numbers to a novel, either multiply by 3 since most novels are around 300-350 pages or just use them as percentages.)

When I did this, it was so much more clear on where I had flubbed up. My set-up was on track (roughly first 10%), and my Catalyst/Call To Action was in the right spot, but then my Debate section (where the character has to decide whether to DO something about that call to action) was way too long. My Break Into Act Two (where the character enters the new world) was pushed back way too late because of it. Act 2 was where my editor started liking the book.

So I cut out an entire chapter and rewrote most of two more, getting my break into two back in the right spot. Seeing it on paper with that simple structure made it so much easier to see (though it doesn't necessarily make fixing it any easier, lol.) I turned in the revisions this week and hopefully what I changed works out.

But if you find yourself struggling with pacing or have this vague feeling that something just isn't quite working, it may benefit you to take out your favorite story structure and lay it over your novel like a blueprint to see if things are happening where they are supposed to be.

And if you've never looked at an overarching structure like that, here are some of my favorite books about structure:

 

1.Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder

(are you tired of hearing about my love for this book yet?)

 

2. Writing Love: Screenwriting Tricks for Authors II by Alexandra Sokoloff

(Alexandra gives a more detailed structure that can be super helpful if you're not sure what should go in between some of those beats from Save the Cat.)

 

3. Writing Screenplays That Sell, New Twentieth Anniversary Edition: The Complete Guide to Turning Story Concepts into Movie and Television Deals by Michael Hauge

(I don't actually have this book, but I attended his workshop and that's where I first discovered the screenwriting techniques for novels. I still use my notes from that workshop with every book.)

 

4. Plot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) by James Scott Bell

(My one structure book that is not screenwriting based. :) You can't go wrong with James Scott Bell.)

 

So have you ever had issues with pacing? Do you use any kind of formal story structure when writing or revising your novels? What are some of your favorite craft books on structure?

On Parenting and Getting Ugly Looks From Strangers

Photo by Adam Edmond (cc)Yesterday was not a good day. It started out happily enough. We decided to go out to Fort Worth and have brunch at a favorite Mexican restaurant. Then me and the fam were going to go to the gourmet grocery store (my personal Disneyland) to shop.

Well, in between that, I saw there was a Barnes and Noble in the same parking lot as the restaurant. So after our lovely patio brunch, I decided we should walk over so that I can sign stock copies of my books.

(For those who aren't aware what it means to sign stock...This is where you just walk in, grab your books off the shelf, and ask customer service if you can sign them and put "autographed copy" stickers on them. This is a good thing to do because a) autographed copies are more enticing and b) the store can't return signed copies so in essence you're guaranteeing the sale of those books by signing them.)

Okay, so anyway, I tell hubs to watch kidlet while I go look for my books. Well, kidlet, who is normally pretty well-behaved in pubic, is having an off day--an off weekend really. He has high-functioning autism and seems to hit a patch every few months where he morphs into nightmare child, where everything and anything sets him off. I still haven't figured out if these times happen because something is hurting him or he's going through a developmental leap/growth spurt and it's throwing his sensory systems out of whack. I don't know; it's a mystery. But regardless of the reason, they happen and it is highly stressful for all involved. If he was like this all the time, I may have to pick up a drinking habit. j/k...mostly)

So instead of behaving for his daddy, kidlet tears away from him and is basically an obnoxious, whiney 4-year-old when my husband tries to wrangle him again. Meanwhile, I'm tracking down my books, and can hear kidlet's non-"inside" voice from the other side of the store. *cringe* So I hurry up and take care of what I need to do and then go to help hubs.

Well, kidlet is having none of it. He doesn't want to leave, he wants every book in the store, lots of "I don't wanna, I don't wanna, let go of me, don't touch me, etc. etc." He starts crying.

I'm getting down on his level explaining that we need to go, that boys who yell in the store don't get to leave with new toys, and that this behavior is not acceptable. Of course, he's hearing none of that because he's in the meltdown zone.

And while all this is going on, we get a lady walking by giving us the disgusted, judgey McJudginton look. You know the one--"incompetent parents, can't even control their own child."

Seriously. SO not necessary.

Look, I get it. No one likes the sound of a crying or whining kid. And yes, if someone is letting their child run wild and ignoring the behavior or checking their text messages on their phone while their kid bothers other people, then maybe a look is in order. But when parents are obviously trying to fix the situation, doing everything they can to take care of things, do people really need to give the snotty look?

The bitchy part of me wanted to say, "Thank you, ma'am, do you feel better now that you've judged two obviously harried parents and their special needs child? Does that make you feel good and superior?"

Of course I didn't. Because it's not worth it. But still, the words did cross my mind.

And it doesn't matter if my child has special needs or not. Everyone should have a little sympathy now and then for parents and their kids. Parenting is the hardest freaking job on the planet. A kind, sympathetic look can go a long way for a mom or dad who is ready to pull their hair out.

So try to remember (and I try to do the same when I'm on the other side of it): You don't know what someone else's situation is. You don't know what kind of day they may have been through. And it's not anyone's place to lay judgment.

Needless to say, we ended up skipping the grocery store and coming home (with a 45 minute raging tantrum the whole ride home in the car--from kidlet, not me, though I was close.) It was not a fun day all around.

The only thing that made me feel better later was this little scene from True Blood. Did anyone else find this clip ridiculously hot? (I think I've been reading too much m/m romance because I kind of wanted them to kiss, lol.)

 

 

So have you ever been that parent getting the mean looks? Have you found yourself doing the judge-y thing? (I know I had my moments before I had a kid and knew what it was like.)

Fill-Me-In Friday: Best Writing Links of the Week

 

Favorite Photo of the Week: A.J. of Lit at Billy Bob's this past weekend. Yes, a rock band at a the world's largest honky tonk. It was like walking into a scene from Urban Cowboy but then they were playing Nine Inch Nails on the speakers. o.0

 

This week's list of links is going to be a little shorter than usual because I've been holed up in the rewriting cave under a tight deadline. I'm still in there, but I can almost see light at the end of the title (ha, that last word was a typo, but I think I'll leave it as stands, it's appropriate). That concert (above) is about the only relaxation I've had this week, so I'm looking forward to getting this book sent off so I can breathe. Well at least until I start drafting book four next week, lol.

So here are some of the best links I've come across this week...

 

On Writing/Publishing:

 

 

On Reviews (since that seems to be the BIG topic this week, with lots of kerfuffleness going on) 

 

 

On Social Networking and Marketing:

 

 

On Other Stuff: 

 

 

What You May Have Missed From Me This Week: 

 

Alright, that's what I've got this week. How has your week been? What's your weekend looking like?

My Top 5 Online Tools for Writers

I'm not usually one to just leave a link to a post on my blog tour, but today I'm a guest over at Books Are Magic talking about my top 5 online tools for writers. And since Wednesday is usually writers' day over here, I figured it'd be a perfect fit.

 

Tools

Photo by zzpza

My Top 5 Online Tools for Writers

 

Hope you'll stop by and say hi. *dives back into editing hell*

The Joe Manganiello Growl & Magic Mike to Brighten Your Day

This week I am in the middle of doing major edits on Grant's book, so I am in the writer's cave. However, to keep you occupied on Boyfriend of the Week day, I thought I'd give you a bit of Joe Manganiello growl and some Magic Mike loveliness.

And hottest thing about this video is not the growl. It's the the fact that he thanks Charlaine Harris, the WRITER, in the first part of his acceptance speech. It drives me crazy at movie/TV awards when someone wins with a movie that was based on a book and thanks everybody from casting to craft services, and the author is never mentioned. So annoying.

Enjoy...

 

And Sunday, I finally got the chance to see Magic Mike. My self-sacrificing husband actually went along with me. He gets lots of brownie points for taking me. Good man. Here's a little snippet if you haven't seen it (or even if you have and want to watch again.)

 

Hope you enjoy your Tuesday! And send good editing thoughts my way, I'm in the need of an epiphany that is going to fix everything by next Monday.