Writing with pace

Pace is crucial for writers. Readers are busy people. That means you need to write with pace to engage them.

Simply put, the more ‘story’ you have the faster the ‘pace’. It is about picking out what really matters. It means examining everything in your story, and asking if you need it?

For example, find those parts that are passive in the story - description that is unnecessary, dialogue that does little, and hit the delete button. Or certainly, cut it back.

Readers like a little exposition, a little back-story and a little character development but, if you have too much, you will send your reader to sleep and every time your story picks up pace you will slow it back down. Focus on story and you’ll keep your reader awake at night, turning your pages.
John Dean