Dresden Files Pacing

[o_O]

Well, the OP was specifically about how to increase the pace, which may be why nobody mentioned slowing it down. 

Alright, true.

I agree that giving the reader enough to build some theories and expectations is important, but Id think there are many ways to do that without intentionally making it a slow/ponderous tale.  For me at least, the revelations others have mentioned may simply be revealing that there is another Question out there that needs an answer; it doesnt have to be a steady reveal of plot information, just steady development.

Well, no one is voting for slow and ponderous at the moment (although ponderous, building terror has its advantages).     

I suppose I was responding to the "don't want to put down at 3am" stated goal more than anything.   

 To extend the juggling metaphor, it's a lot more engaging for the viewer to juggle 3 or 4 of anything than for the viewer to step back and watch while a character juggles more and more and more subplots/Questions.     

My point here is that "How many is enough and how quickly to toss them at the reader?" may be a more important question for the writer to answer than "How do I keep this pace up?", unless the reader is assumed to be disengaged from the start.

[Aminar]

Im not talking about tension, or transitions maintaining tone;  Im talking about having a reader hooked at 3am on a workday and not giving them an opportunity to put the book down.  In a 1st POV story, no matter what the tension or the mystery or whatever, the "Next thing" is always a single page away, and the reader is going to be constantly giving themselves "Just One More".  In a 3rd POV with multiple POV stories you loose that innate continuity most of the time.  Even if it ends one chapter cliffhanger style with character A in a battle for his life, and switches over to another character also in a battle for his life, the tension is the same but the reader knows that they have reached a stopping point, and can much more easily put the book down.  You know its a stopping point, because its the point the author chose to stop at and relocate you to the other story; s/he is taking a break and going to come back to it, so you as the reader can as well.  But when we are sitting on one guy's shoulder the entire time, no matter what the transitions are its still just that one thread you are following, which makes it subtly harder to let go, even if life/work/family would tell you that you should.  Switching POV's is always going to be a little bit of a speed bump.

I'm pretty much the opposite too.  If there is a POV shift at a cliffhanger I end up reading lonegr because I know the resolution will be that much farther off when I pick it up again, whereas if I put down a first person narrative the minute I pick it back up I get answers.  And if you have a cliffhanger lead to another cliffhanger to another cliffhanger I'll be up all night trying to find out how all 3 resolve.  I'd never have that problem with a One person storyline.

[arianne]

I personally worry about POV juggling because there is always the chance that the reader will end up skipping chapters to stick with one POV. I had that happen to me when reading Game of Thrones (mostly because I hated all of the POVs except for one or two). I ended up skipping through half the book, getting very confused, and giving the book away to someone else. I think part of the problem was that some of the POVs didn't seem to be related to the main plot, so I'd say that for multiple POV books, it might be best to stick to no more than three POVs, and making sure that there is some connection between them, so that even when you switch to someone else you're still sort of in the same story space.

[Aminar]

I personally worry about POV juggling because there is always the chance that the reader will end up skipping chapters to stick with one POV. I had that happen to me when reading Game of Thrones (mostly because I hated all of the POVs except for one or two). I ended up skipping through half the book, getting very confused, and giving the book away to someone else. I think part of the problem was that some of the POVs didn't seem to be related to the main plot, so I'd say that for multiple POV books, it might be best to stick to no more than three POVs, and making sure that there is some connection between them, so that even when you switch to someone else you're still sort of in the same story space.

If they're skipping POV's the writer did something wrong or the reader is lazy.  That said, I read most of The Wheel of Time skipping everything from a female perspective that wasn't Min or Aviendah.  I still got the story right.  I missed out on some great character development though.  If you're worried about readings skipping your Points of view you might be writing a character badly or sticking with them too long.  That doesn't mean don't use them.  That means don't bite off more than your reader can chew.

And GoT...  It's much overhyped.  So many of PoV characters are uninteresting or obnoxious.  There's no hope left in the series.  It was great for three books.  Then it got old.  You're not missing too much.

[arianne]

Another thing I meant to add earlier is that when a book in a series starts off with one first person, single POV, and then the second book in the series takes a side character from the first book and makes them the new first person, single POV it kind of throws me off a bit. It takes a little more time for me to get used to the new voice and seeing the former main character referred to in the third person (and, let's face it, the main reason I went back and bought the second book was because I liked the POV voice of the first book. I want more of that guy I already know!)

If you're worried about readings skipping your Points of view you might be writing a character badly or sticking with them too long.  That doesn't mean don't use them.  That means don't bite off more than your reader can chew.

I agree. Although it is a tricky balance to achieve.

And GoT...  It's much overhyped.  So many of PoV characters are uninteresting or obnoxious.  There's no hope left in the series.  It was great for three books.  Then it got old.  You're not missing too much.

I'd heard there was a board game and a movie in the works for it now? So I suppose some people got something out of it. For me, it was just ultimately too confusing. Too many people, too many plotlines. I never had any idea what was happening.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

And GoT...  It's much overhyped.  So many of PoV characters are uninteresting or obnoxious.  There's no hope left in the series.  It was great for three books.  Then it got old.  You're not missing too much.

Uninteresting or obnoxious I can see as a matter of taste; I am bemused at the thought of any of the POV characters in that series striking anyone as either, but that's just me.

But "no hope left in the series", I seriously can't see where you're getting that from at all.

[Aminar]

Uninteresting or obnoxious I can see as a matter of taste; I am bemused at the thought of any of the POV characters in that series striking anyone as either, but that's just me.

But "no hope left in the series", I seriously can't see where you're getting that from at all.

Uninteresting is a small number.  Both are Stark Women and neither is Arya.  Obnoxious-that list just goes on and on and on.  Theon.  Sansa.  Stannis.  Littlefinger.  Sansa.  Caitlin.  Sansa.  Did I mentions Sansa?
The lack of hope comes from having my hopes crushed by it too many times.  Sure, he might finish it well but Mr. Martin killed my interest pretty handily between Feast and Dance. 

[meg_evonne]

Uhm, back on the original question... :-) I think you've said it well in your initial post. I would add (and you probably are also charting this in your work) these.

Fast pace in the Dresden Verse also follows a basic premise that the tension intensifies over the length of the book. There is an upping of the emotional ante in the plot. 

On the Dresden Verse subplots, they fit. None of that, 'why do I have to read about this turkey or spend time on a flabby subplot'. Jim's subplots fit seamlessly, they are intelligent, and they are vital to the major plot.

Good luck with your writing.

FYI, I do not love excel character sheets etc. I hate them, but I do them. I also track every scene for its value (if a scene isn't adding three items to the overall plot, it gets cut or enriched), and I track every scene for its tension level, which I rate. I want to see that tension increasing. I will also balance and note on the sheet what type of tension I've put in there--action, threat level, character arguments, sexual tension etc.

[o_O]

FYI, I do not love excel character sheets etc. I hate them, but I do them. I also track every scene for its value (if a scene isn't adding three items to the overall plot, it gets cut or enriched), and I track every scene for its tension level, which I rate. I want to see that tension increasing.

You make that sound so...Bolero.

[meg_evonne]

You make that sound so...Bolero.

*laughing* Thanks for sticking that song in my head now...

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

FYI, I do not love excel character sheets etc. I hate them, but I do them. I also track every scene for its value (if a scene isn't adding three items to the overall plot, it gets cut or enriched), and I track every scene for its tension level, which I rate. I want to see that tension increasing. I will also balance and note on the sheet what type of tension I've put in there--action, threat level, character arguments, sexual tension etc.

I'm not convinced that it always wants to be monotonically increasing, though, particularly if your book is longer than can be reasonable be read in one sitting; there is something to be said for giving the reader and the characters a break between a bad bit and a worse bit, dramtic reversals sort of thing.

[Quantus]

I'm not convinced that it always wants to be monotonically increasing, though, particularly if your book is longer than can be reasonable be read in one sitting; there is something to be said for giving the reader and the characters a break between a bad bit and a worse bit, dramtic reversals sort of thing.

Are you talking about something like the Big Middle event that JB describes in his writing blog, or something more twisty?

[o_O]

a first movement resolution would be nice, even if the movement is not in sonata form?

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Are you talking about something like the Big Middle event that JB describes in his writing blog, or something more twisty?

Jim's notion of Big Middle would be an example of the kind of thing I mean, yes. I'm also thinking of a couple of books othat do a "build-release-build-release-build-release..." pattern, moving faster between tension and release as they go; Raphael Carter's The Fortunate Fall is a good SF example, though my favourite is I think William Goldman's mainstream novel The Color of Light.  (I'm  a sucker for books about writers), and a number of things in genre that build to a climax, have enough space after it for things to appear resolved, and then drop you back into greater tension.

[Quantus]

Jim's notion of Big Middle would be an example of the kind of thing I mean, yes. I'm also thinking of a couple of books othat do a "build-release-build-release-build-release..." pattern, moving faster between tension and release as they go; Raphael Carter's The Fortunate Fall is a good SF example, though my favourite is I think William Goldman's mainstream novel The Color of Light.  (I'm  a sucker for books about writers), and a number of things in genre that build to a climax, have enough space after it for things to appear resolved, and then drop you back into greater tension.

Hmm, Ill have to check that one out.