24 - 52 - X - Three Numbers that Set My Novel's Pace
DAY 120 - 26/30/4 -
Pacing is crucial but often overlooked. Audiences don't tend to notice when a story matches its pace, but they might notice if it clashes—the finale wraps up too fast; the comedy relief drags. Great pacing can prevent "slow" moments, even in the longest stories.
When I wrote plays, pacing was a matter of dialogue. Scenes were as long as it took performers to say their lines. Once they finished, the lights went out, and the next scene began. After ten scenes, the play ended. If we finished in under an hour and a half, our pacing was great. But books aren't like that. They can stretch and contract, making a minute last a chapter or a life fit in five pages. Plus, readers go through books in their own time. They don't have to leave the auditorium before ten o'clock. They can start, stop, and pick up again as they please.
This raised three questions for my book:
- How long should my story's scenes be?
- How long should I take to write them?
- How do I ensure a great experience for both slow and fast readers?
24
 |
Federal agent Jack Bauer has no idea what tomorrow holds. |
At the dawn of a new millennium, FOX released a tv drama starring counterterrorist Jack Bauer. The show, 24, had a big gimmick; one it announced through its famous tagline, "Events occur in real time." Each episode covered one hour of what Jack calls "the longest day of his life." There's no slow motion, flashbacks, or time-skips. If Jack needs thirty minutes to drive to his destination, then he'll be in his car for thirty minutes. Naturally, audiences were skeptical. "How much can happen in a day?" Well, when it comes to 24—Plane crashes. Gunfights. Kidnapping. Date night. Divorce. Getting fired. Getting rehired. Averting a nuke. Swearing in a president. Impeaching that president—one day might never end.
I watched 24, while I was drafting my novel. At that time, I wondered how long my story should be. Should it take place over a week? Where should I put the scene breaks? But all these questions vanished when I remembered the words, "Events occur in real time." Everything clicked. Why not push my scenes together; raise the stakes; draw out the tension? Why split up the action between two nights, when it can happen simultaneously? So, I crafted my narrative to occur over 48 hours. (I needed a day to set up my world.) I tried to make it 24, but that was too much for me. My hat goes off to FOX's writers who maintained their premise for eight fascinating seasons—ten years to create eight days.
52
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| How will earth survive one year, without Superman, Wonder Woman or Batman? |
Sometimes pacing isn't only a matter of how long, but also how long to create. That was more than true of DC Comics' 52. The main concept: Publish one issue per week for a whole year (no breaks or reschedules). DC's president Paul Levitz says they wanted to tell a story "in a unique vehicle. Maybe real time like 24." This was a monumental task, and it took four of the greatest comic writers working together to accomplish it. Levitz says they tackled it like "a bunch of kids in the schoolyard refusing to let a dare go unanswered." Artist Keith Giffen remarks that every week he wondered, "Will we pull this off," up until the final issue.
In the publication I read, there were pages of notes written by the writers, artists, and producers. These commentaries brought me into the creative process. They showed me how daunting it was to draft even one scene per week, but also how fulfilling it was when these events slowly built to the climax. Producer Dan Didio says the writers spent months pre-planning "a comprehensive outline for all 52 issues," and yet by the second week they were "coming up with things anew." Even so, the creators always had an idea where the story was going. Writer Mark Waid says there was one issue he was unavailable for. Because of this, he experienced that week "the same as the audience." Waid says, "For the first time, I saw the bigger picture of 52—and, more important, I saw it was going to work."
This approach inspired me. I decided to write my novel in similar fashion—one chapter per two weeks. Such dedication ensured that all my chapters would be entertaining, since I had to read each one exclusively for two weeks. This gave my novel what some beta readers called a "comic book appeal," terrific for young adults with limited schedules. Like 52, I wanted every chapter to satisfy and keep readers excited for what was ahead.
Final Fantasy X
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| Tidus and Yuna have one moment to cherish what they can't in a lifetime. |
Long before I thought about writing my novel, I purchased Final Fantasy X from GameStop. I wanted a grand scale adventure; something akin to playing through a TV show. I made a list of games, and despite what people told me, I chose Final Fantasy X. Maybe I was attracted to the characters. Maybe all that water intrigued me. Or maybe it was the game's relaxed combat.
According to the manual, this was the first Final Fantasy with a "Conditional Turn-based Battle system." In other words, "time passes only when commands are executed in battle." The game's pacing was in the player's hands.
I wanted my game to last, so I only played it during school breaks. No matter how much time passed, I could always jump back into the story. Not because it was simple. There were a ton of alliances and deceptions to keep track of. But I didn't have to manage any of them. That's because the characters reacted to every event with distinct emotions. One smile, grimace, or frown, and I was back in their world. I never lost focus, and after ten years, I defeated the final enemy and saved Spira.
To celebrate, I rewatched the game's cutscenes back-to-back. I thought it would be slow going, but I was invested all over again. The script didn't talk down to the player, constantly reminding them of every plot detail. But it also didn't put so much on them that it never repeated any information. There was a balance; one that I could enjoy in a couple hours or ten years—the same thing I wished for my novel.
Through these three stories, I learned about the frenetic energy of "real time," the gripping attraction of "comic appeal," and the long-term value of characters with distinct emotions. Hopefully, readers will see these techniques in my debut novel—which will be available soon. No rush.
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