Pacing Problems

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Not so fast that it becomes easy to miss important things. Not so slow that you are relying on Padding, Filler or Purple Prose just to keep the reader reading and the book made bigger.

In short, as fast as the plot will allow and hold onto the readers.

edited 13th Aug '11 5:56:00 PM by MajorTom

Since I can't really go on an Archive Binge on your story, I can't offer a lot of advice, unless you post a summary of what happens on all the pages, but...

Try to find a way to put two actions on one page. Or try to find scenes with little visual where you can stuff ten twelve panels onto one page without detracting from the quality. Also, find plot threads that aren't needed and merge them.

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Watchmen had all sorts of pages that accomplished very little, but meant quite a bit.

Maybe a bad example, because Alan Moore is a better writer than the rest of us put together, but still.

The problem is that making a graphic novel Doorstopper is harder than making a novel one. A graphic novel one is too much paper, and there isn't as much of a market for it. I think that AHR might over-shoot the 200 page mark, which is the average length of a manga volume.

There's pretty much no way we can help you unless you give a summary of the work. Do you have one on the thread already?

edited 13th Aug '11 6:06:35 PM by chihuahua0

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I have an interestingly difficult way of doing it, in my current work. I thumb my nose at The Law of Conservation of Detail in the small things, but at the same time, I don't really have "filler chapters." Every chapter is important, story wise, because every chapter is a story in and of itself. Some stories are multi-chapter, but all of them are basically self-contained, and yet, all together, they make up the larger whole. My problem, therefore, is that I tend to go too fast, but at the same time, I write huge amounts.

Perhaps I'm simply too verbose. I couldn't really tell you. When I write some more, maybe I'll post it for input, but really, I manage to have too much... without really saying anything... and yet I did say what I wanted, just not in enough individual detail.

It's complicated...

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Sorry, I'm confused:

You said that all of the actions are needed, or all of the pages are needed?

/Stupid question

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What stuck out to me first was the framing device and the prologue. These two things are usually not needed. Is there any way to remove these (or at least condense them) without taking anything away from the story?

Also, it gets you 78 pages to get to the real plot? Although it doesn't bother me too much, I always notice when it takes fifty pages to get to the point. That's why in my book, I'm starting the real plot no later than page thirty, although my short chapter lengths may place it earlier.

So, is there any way to move the content from that part later to the story, to propel the readers into the action earlier? That can improve pacing.

edited 13th Aug '11 6:36:02 PM by chihuahua0

^^^^ I've seen slower pacing than that before.

edited 13th Aug '11 6:33:43 PM by MajorTom

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If all else fails, you could always split it into two books.

I think her problem is that she's cramming too much stuff while having too many pages.

edited 13th Aug '11 6:37:48 PM by chihuahua0

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...Oh yeah.

But from this outline, I can see a lot going on.

I think you should focus first on the fight scene, and find ways to streamline them. In prose, they usually don't last long as graphic novels, but if you need more space for character interaction...

edited 13th Aug '11 6:40:11 PM by chihuahua0

^^^ There ain't nothing wrong with being a Doorstopper!

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'cept it hinders your chances of getting published.

If you care about that.

edited 13th Aug '11 6:44:17 PM by Night

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Again. 200 to 250 pages is usually the maximum, and I think AHR said she's only half-way through. How many 400 page graphic novels do you see out there? That's a lot of ink for a first-time writer.

Never mind then. 250 should be okay.

But are there any important main characters whose roles can be safely combined? That can save you at least five to ten pages or so.

edited 13th Aug '11 6:47:45 PM by chihuahua0

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Okay, so obviously no one here is going to help you by talking in page numbers, or even telling you what to condense from your own story without actually reading it.

By way of advice, I can only suggest two things:

• How many people do you have reading and critiquing the story now? Try to find one more person, ask them to read the script according to the classifications you posted earlier, and have them point out where it begins to meander, which lines of dialogue from, say, the Prologue could be cut, etc.

• Do the same thing alone, carefully.

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