So due to the absurd amount of time I read books, I got the idea for my own little novel. Problem is pacing it is a problem. I'm gonna keep the novel going on for awhile probably because I am finding it fun to write but I'm finding myself worrying over getting too deeply entrenched in one period of time to another.

Like a balancing act I want to move later on into the story but want to have a front end section of an introduction to the world and the character. While I know it's perfectly fine for stories to have a MC you learn about in the middle of action(Learn about them from actions and how they deal with moral dilemma) but I don't feel that's right for the story. But at same time I cant figure out how much is too much and too little time spent on something.

I have ideas but whenever I read other people's works they just flow. Mine so far feels jerked in one direction or the other. I can't tell whether is due to being author or if it actually is. Similar to how I don't feel good on my writing style because in most fictions the author gives a skeleton of a scene and let's the readers fill it in. Well as the author I have my own scene in my head but how can I tell that I've given enough to have people make up their own scene or too much. It's a dilemma I'm confused on how to tackle. Help is appreciated.

For pacing a story: Write what needs to be said and avoid filler, or anything that doesn't contribute but merely adds words. This will keep the story fresh and avoid boring readers. If you feel that the main story is going to fast for your liking, add a side story that links to the main one in some way, DO NOT JUST ADD A USELESS SIDE STORY THAT DOES NOTHING. A good example of a useless side story is a tournament side story. Even if the MC gets something good at the end, it's never worth the readers time. A good example would be about an independent character that links on into the story later.

For prologues/introductions: This is the only part of a novel where an infodump is somewhat tolerated and it should be used with care. If you want some background on your MC or world-building, add it here. That being said, avoid just saying things like 'There were 5 continents named blah blah blah and then the calamity struck and the world was gifted with magic and the MC was unable to use it...'. You get what I'm saying. Rather, hint at what possibly happened, or describe the world with as little detail as possible, but avoid saying nothing at all, but NEVER SAY EVERYTHING AT ONCE. This will intrigue the readers' curiosity and make them hunger for more.

For example: 'The continent of Xerith has hidden many secrets beneath its crust, but none can prepare the world for what it truly hides. The five kingdoms, reigning centuries on end, have only tasted a smidgen of whats to come. Across the ocean, the warring tribes prepare after the soothsayers warning. Elsewhere on the grand continent, Derak prepares for his morning hunt, unaware of the events that are about to unfold.' Doing it this way provides the readers' information, but it also tells a story. If it feels like the reader is reading down a list of characteristics, then you are doing it wrong. By providing this level of information, you provide a backstory, but not the whole story, that can be saved for later chapters.

For making a story flow: This is easily fixed, but requires more work. To stop a story from just going into any direction, without rhyme or reason, or that it's just jerked into one direction, all that you have to do is foreshadowing. Want to introduce a new story faction? Then, talk about their actions in a previous chapter. This allows you to naturally drift towards them because the MC already knew about them. This can avoid making a storyline feel forced, or jerked in a certain direction. Prologues can happen years before the story even starts and are a good way to skip the beginning sections of a story. The thing that makes foreshadowing hard, is it takes a lot of planning, but that's the price you have to pay for a good story.

For setting a scene: This is my own opinion. To avoid dumping the reader with information on the scene in one go, provide them with the information when the MC interacts with the environment. Example: 'As he touched the blue leaves of the Coriat tree, his muscles tensed.'. With this simple line, you've just added a characteristic to a bland forest environment and you fill the readers in on the necessary information. A good way to ensure that you are providing enough scene information is to describe the characteristics, shortly, of what the MC is focusing on.

If you have any other concerns, or are unsure of any of my points, feel free to ask.

Thanks.

'Danetello' pid='831947' dateline='1516144216' Wrote: For pacing a story: Write what needs to be said and avoid filler, or anything that doesn't contribute but merely adds words. This will keep the story fresh and avoid boring readers. If you feel that the main story is going to fast for your liking, add a side story that links to the main one in some way, DO NOT JUST ADD A USELESS SIDE STORY THAT DOES NOTHING. A good example of a useless side story is a tournament side story. Even if the MC gets something good at the end, it's never worth the readers time. A good example would be about an independent character that links on into the story later.

For prologues/introductions: This is the only part of a novel where an infodump is somewhat tolerated and it should be used with care. If you want some background on your MC or world-building, add it here. That being said, avoid just saying things like 'There were 5 continents named blah blah blah and then the calamity struck and the world was gifted with magic and the MC was unable to use it...'. You get what I'm saying. Rather, hint at what possibly happened, or describe the world with as little detail as possible, but avoid saying nothing at all, but NEVER SAY EVERYTHING AT ONCE. This will intrigue the readers' curiosity and make them hunger for more.

For example: 'The continent of Xerith has hidden many secrets beneath its crust, but none can prepare the world for what it truly hides. The five kingdoms, reigning centuries on end, have only tasted a smidgen of whats to come. Across the ocean, the warring tribes prepare after the soothsayers warning. Elsewhere on the grand continent, Derak prepares for his morning hunt, unaware of the events that are about to unfold.' Doing it this way provides the readers' information, but it also tells a story. If it feels like the reader is reading down a list of characteristics, then you are doing it wrong. By providing this level of information, you provide a backstory, but not the whole story, that can be saved for later chapters.

For making a story flow: This is easily fixed, but requires more work. To stop a story from just going into any direction, without rhyme or reason, or that it's just jerked into one direction, all that you have to do is foreshadowing. Want to introduce a new story faction? Then, talk about their actions in a previous chapter. This allows you to naturally drift towards them because the MC already knew about them. This can avoid making a storyline feel forced, or jerked in a certain direction. Prologues can happen years before the story even starts and are a good way to skip the beginning sections of a story. The thing that makes foreshadowing hard, is it takes a lot of planning, but that's the price you have to pay for a good story.

For setting a scene: This is my own opinion. To avoid dumping the reader with information on the scene in one go, provide them with the information when the MC interacts with the environment. Example: 'As he touched the blue leaves of the Coriat tree, his muscles tensed.'. With this simple line, you've just added a characteristic to a bland forest environment and you fill the readers in on the necessary information. A good way to ensure that you are providing enough scene information is to describe the characteristics, shortly, of what the MC is focusing on.

If you have any other concerns, or are unsure of any of my points, feel free to ask.

Very helpful