A question of pace

[John Dean]

I have been critiquing a number of manuscripts by aspiring crime writers in recent months and on each occasion, a central part of my report has focused on pace.

One thing that I have learned over the years from reading fiction and observing the changes proposed by my editors, is the importance of pace in the final manuscript.

Get it wrong and you are jeopardising your chances of success. Get it right and it keeps the reader turning the page.

I take these thoughts into my own work on a daily basis and have drawn on them while finishing off the latest DCI Jack Harris novel for my publisher The Book Folks (I completed the work this morning).

I take a lot of time over editing (easily as much as I spend writing) to ensure that the pace is right, deleting lines and whole sections as I seek to eradicate anything that slows the pace and prevents the flow of the narrative. That can be anything from too much description to repetition and unnecessary dialogue.

That is not to say there is not a need for slower sections (a reader needs the chance to take a breath amid the drama) but the overall aim is to create and preserve a sense of momentum.

Making cuts can be painful, given that all writers know how much work goes into getting the words onto the page in the first place, but it is a crucial process for any writer. Indeed, it’s the difference between success and failure.