Dear Authors... Pacing

[@txdave]

I actually really enjoy books that are “slower” in the sense that it’s not a lot of battles and action but the plot is constantly moving forward and keep you intrigued

[@turma8eac]

So long as the plot is actually moving and we are using this time to interact more with the characters then yeah Problem is when the author just stops the plot and starts doing something else without focusing on the characters either

[@txdave]

Andre Carpenter I think just something is going on to add to the story - can even be a flashback, character interactions that add to their relationship, a reveal, character plotting to do things for political intrigue etc.

[@925263]

That's not a slow book. Slow books are the ones where you get several chapters with NOTHING. Remove them, and both the story and character development stay the same, because neither was moved forward in those chapters.

[@DushanChaciej]

Indeed, there's a difference between slow pace and filler.

[@Meimoons]

@@DushanChaciej Agreed. Fillers that don’t give a satisfying result or progress the plot are so unnecessary.

[@TheQwerty841]

Watching these vids always get me raring to write and fills me up with ideas. They do 99% of the time end up as concepts but they still motivate me to write 😂

[@turma8eac]

No shame in that

[@jackwriter1908]

Yeah, I get that. I have the same problem 😂

[@muchuuworks]

I am just noting down concepts and ideas while listening to this video in the BG lol

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

I actually subscribed to Merphy originally for her Dear Authors videos, specifically because I was using them as a part of my research as an aspiring writer into what people do or don't look for when reading books nowadays; so I'm always keeping a TON of notes in mind from these vids, too. ^-^ But of course, eventually, came to respect and appreciate her as a person & reviewer overall as well!

[@bodine219]

These vids have a similar effect on me. Love them

[@badfaith4u]

So happy that Dear Authors is back. 📚

[@FM95.5]

SAME!!!

[@whiteraven562]

One pacing gripe I have is when a book is 300+ pages and is only split into like 10 chapters. It means each chapter is like 40 pages long, and it just makes the whole thing feel like it's taking forever to get through.

[@pikameer8325]

Second this, I think well sized/spaced chapters are important in books.

[@abigase135]

Exactly, I finish 600+ pages books with short chapters way faster than a 'short' book with long chapters

[@dtmcgmcgr9081]

@@pikameer8325 or no chapters at all

[@squidwardsthirdtentacle1198]

I can relate at the moment. I'm reading The Secret History, and each chapter is like ~50 pages! I was so gripped by the first 100 pages, but now it's just dragging on...

[@jarred110]

Lol I do this. But I like the format, it nicely splits my book up into each arc. To each his own I guess

[@SysterYster]

I actually hate when an author builds up for something, then, when the thing finally happens, it's brushed over in a few paragraphs. Like... we waited all this time for THAT? Eff off!! Take you time to really rub that scene in, whether it's the first kiss, or a reveal of a secret, or a battle. It doesn't matter, just make that scene important and make us feel it! XD

[@rue.aultimatehope4310]

yeah don't make the main battle of the book 2 paragraphs or when characters die the characters just are "oh they died"

[@SysterYster]

@@rue.aultimatehope4310 Exactly!

[@SysterYster]

@Day Wow, yeah that sucks. lol. I never read the books, but I can see how that'd be infuriating. XD

[@GnarledStaff]

Song of Ice and Fire felt like this a lot. I noticed it on book 3 so I need to see if he did it in the first 2 books.

[@SysterYster]

@@GnarledStaff Not at all. They had a lot of cliffhangers, but always came back to it. Fights took chapters, not paragraphs, sneaky plans were either thwarted or carried out in full, not brushed over. The worst things in those books were having too many food descriptions, and not being finished. XD Also, the slower pace in the last two books. (In my opinion, of course, you can think as you like). :)

[@alexinator-hh5fe]

I personally really like books that take their time. Especially if the author can use that time to get me really invested in the characters or world in that time. I've found that books that go super fast between sections of the plot can definitely keep you interested, but it becomes harder to become invested in anyone because the plot is moving like a rollercoaster.

[@line4169]

Your pfp terrifies me !

[@LuvYourzAnthony]

@@line4169 fr Eren pfps be whilin

[@ahmadiskandarzulkarnain5833]

@@line4169 Best manga panel

[@emmas.m]

I personally love a short "breather" in between action scenes. For me it gives me time to process my thoughts and to get in the heads of the characters. For instance in HP when Harry has just gotten the memories from Snape and we see everyone's reactions to the recent battle. Those were the most emotionally charged moments for me.

[@isaachester8475]

I agree so much with that comment about writing details according to the pacing of the situation. I’ve read some battle/fight scenes where the armor or weapons are described in excruciating detail. It really draws away from the tension, because there’s no way the character is analyzing things *this* deeply when he’s trying to *dodge a sword to keep his head from getting cut off* .

[@marshwiggle8364]

I feel like the quality of videos has been exceptional since the break. The only thing i've been missing is a good rant. [ive been working on writing my first book... and dear authors is second only to Sanderson lectures... which i consider to be the masterclass of writing]

[@laurisaborlovan9513]

hard agree!

[@Pablo360able]

I mean, Sanderson’s lectures literally are a masterclass.

[@zacharyjorn4981]

Ironic considering Sanderson has huge issues with pacing in his stormlight books

[@marshwiggle8364]

@@zacharyjorn4981 haven't read them yet. Just reckoners trilogy/mistborn trilogy and just finished skyward. I find the massive books intimidating so I'm slowly reading larger ones

[@Danheron2]

Hey merphy your a sweetheart, I love watching your videos and listening it always makes me feel like I’m listening to a friend. You exude such warmth and you seem like a wonderful mother and person never stop doing you and I hope you’ll always be happy 😊

[@mediumjohnsilver]

Your video made me think of a humorous piece called “The Tandem Story” in which students Rebecca and Gerry tried to write one story by writing alternate paragraphs. Rebecca was writing about an introspective woman making tea, but Gerry was writing an action-packed space battle.

[@ratacus]

I can't be the only person that fully flinched when Merphy sent that book tumbling off her shelf at 4:55, how she didn't physically react to that at all has me STRESSED lmao

[@blizzard2798]

she's got children. crashing sounds are probably an hourly occurrence

[@maem7462]

I love a good slow burn especially with romance. If it’s romance I love for there to be time for it to develop now if they’ve been friends for a while then they likely will already have some chemistry bc that’s how friendship works. With friendship it depends on the characters and what makes sense for them. If there is a character that makes friends quickly or at least considers ppl friends quickly then they would consider ppl friends quickly. If there is a character that take a while until they see someone has a friend then I like to see that friendship blossom. It’s also really fun seeing both of those characters interact and one considers one a friend while the other one is like they’re not my friend atm

[@Gronmin]

The thing I learned the most in this book is that most people don't understand what pacing is.

[@th3logician]

So I'm an author and its fun to puzzle these sorts of questions out. As far as downtime goes I think there is a huge difference between downtime and a cliffhanger. I think that a lot of authors don't finish the current scene or action and put a big cliffhanger to go focus on something else thinking that this will keep the reader interested. I feel like readers get very sad when they are in the middle of an interesting scene and they hit a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger should make a reader interested, but if its at a point in which the reader is already interested generally your just going to have a really bored and dissapointed reader. Downtime I feel is like the calm after the storm. The readers world has been changed and now needs to see the consequences, they may notice different characters acting in different ways, maybe a character has a barely noticeable limp that he once did not have. Little changes that become apparent in the small things and decisions that characters make in everyday life. Mistborn does a great job I feel in using the balls that Vin goes to to showcase the small differences in her character as the book goes on.

[@ViridianForests]

Yes, this so much! I'm already usually invested and super curious, I don't need a cliffhanger to keep me going! I find this is a problem that tends to crop up in books that go from one character in a different place and situation to another. The change can be huge and disturbing and I'll spend the first few pages longing for the previous chapter to have been longer, while not caring about the current story. Sometimes the next part ends up having me just as invested and dying for more, then switching (which is good), but more often than not I just end up having a favorite storyline and then spend all the time away from it bored and skimming. Downtime tends to be the parts that have me the most satisfied when reading a fast-paced story. After all the chaos of the main plot, the reader and characters' reward is some peace and quiet before things pick up again.

[@nichescenes]

You can tell authors by how they can't help but write entire paragraphs on an answer lol. Personally, I feel ya but I found my own way to make readers not feel cheaped out. No fake-outs, but I move to another character that is interesting...I find that works. Then when you come back to the main cast their happy to see them and ok with world-building or slow pacing. IMO HXH does it well. they finish a saga never saying oh you're in charge...no I am...as in they always say this is my story...I'm not making it just for you, but for you to enjoy as I try to make something exciting for me. Hard to explain but a normal author writing hxh would have just not added anticlimax or would have finished it with bad health. An artist thinks I D K I wanna finish this on my terms or I'll tell someone else what I planned. No matter how cliche or trophy, you think your work is, it's unique cause you made it, no one else made it at the time you did or you decided. Don't worry. Put your stuff out and you will at least find one fan...yourself.

[@megabutler08]

Merphy, did you buy a giant one Piece Poster? 25:29

[@m.e.fair.9683]

I love your jumper/sweater💕

[@lauzuli137]

Oh my gosh, it was so cool to see you respond to my comment! Thank you so much for such your thoughtful response and book recommendations! It’s so cool to be a part of one of these videos after watching them for a good while 😊

[@BamadeusTTV]

Yours is one of the only channels I watch the sponsor ads for! You never know what chaos you're gonna get here 😂

[@thecommoncliche5444]

1. Dear authors is amazing 2. A book with good pacing is amazing, I honestly might take a break from The Dragon Reborn and just read Jade War since I heard it has better pacing. Honestly sometimes it seems like a happy accident

[@925263]

I mean, everything else in this universe has better pacing than WoT.

[@tazatom]

I am only on the eye of the world and pacing is making it hard to read. I have read new spring the prequel first.

[@stillwatrpwnage]

@@tazatom I'm likewise reading EoTW, curious if you're more interested in the Perrin/Egwene and Nynaeve plotlines than the Rand/Mat story? I know Rand is the "main character" but I get so bored reading his narrative and find myself skimming the chapters like "yeah, yeah, they're being chased" trying to get back to the other characters' POV

[@GnarledStaff]

Wheel of Time definitely does not have modern pacing. I find I have to take a long break between books sometimes. Rereading book 8 now. They really do feel better if read over a long time rather than chugged in a few days.

[@luisannagarcia7616]

Hi Merphy! I really enjoy Dear author section, thank you for bringing it back! Greetings from DR!

[@AbhijeetBorkar]

I wonder how much the pacing is affected by people's reading speed and habits. Do people who read the books 50 pages/a chapter or two per day feel the pacing to be very different from those who finish the book in a day or two? Being a busy person and a slow reader, I often read 40-50 pages in a day, sometimes cannot continue to read for a few days. So there's always time for pausing, reflecting on the story & characters. But some days when I just sit down and finish half the book in one sitting, that does affect how I feel about the pacing. Or people who listen to audiobooks versus those who read the books? I often feel with audiobooks, I don't have time to reflect as it keeps on going until I pause the device.

[@nikkireigns]

Great question! You've got me curious now as well

[@nichescenes]

I read average according to the test for speed reading...I saw that many read about 1 min per page or less. So I'd wager if the descriptions and flow are good enough it makes an image in their head. That said my family doesn't have the ability to visualize when reading...so strict to the point works better for them, too many descriptions bore them. Show don't tell was a rule made by avid readers, not average. We as readers or writers etc need to make the best story we can and if people don't like it, then at least we made something one person enjoys...hopefully you.

[@martianram]

i remember someone suggesting a dear author on family dynamics a while back, it’s a great idea!! id really like to hear u talk ab this topic

[@danamytereads5304]

Off topic, but glad to see this post! Don't know what part of Kentucky you live in, but have been worried with the news of that horrible tornado!! Happy to see you guys are ok! ❤

[@HyDrOpYrO777]

I was about to say the same thing.

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

....would this be a bad time to mention that KZbin videos can be scheduled to become available before the time when they actually do? Let me know when she '❤'s &/or replies to someone's comment on this video; Now that I've made myself concerned.😶

[@danamytereads5304]

@@jaginaiaelectrizs6341 I'm not sure how far in advance she records, but I was hoping since it had been a few days that maybe it was post tornado, but now I am nervous all over again as well. 😬 I hope they're ok!

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

@@danamytereads5304 (yeah, I don't know how far in advance she records either..) _Sorry!_ I really hope they're okay too!!

[@the_corvid97]

@@jaginaiaelectrizs6341 On today's video I saw her pin a comment so hopefully that means that everything is okay.

[@kammy6340]

I am so happy that this series is back. Thank you so much Merph.

[@else4868]

Is it a weird dream/goal to have, to one day write a book that Merphy will love?

[@sandsoftime1259]

No, I have the same one.

[@surenderbeniwal8578]

Aw this is such a sweet comment :) And nah not weird at all😉.

[@mellowyellow5865]

No, I’ve written like 14 novels since I’ve stumbled on her channel, and I pray that at least one would make her happy, though they suck….

[@surenderbeniwal8578]

@@mellowyellow5865 (u didn't ask for it but) let others be the judge if they "suck" or not. Don't be ur worst critic. ...Be ur own personal cheerleader😅😉. Sending u great wishes, stranger :)

[@mellowyellow5865]

@@surenderbeniwal8578 I know my writing sucks, trust me. I got an F on my essay shaping assignment for history… in my defense the teacher is horrible at giving instructions

[@lowercase_ash]

I love how Murphy just slowly starts to hold more and more books it's like she's flexing on us

[@jacama-bobjohan7516]

Yes! I have been waiting for this! Totally very patient...

[@MidLifeChanger]

This is the second dear author i started and these are the best thing i feel i could find. I wrote a book in high school that i've recently been thinking of working on again in my spare time and want every piece of information i can get from Merphy and her amazing community. It got me thinking about so much i could incorporate into it and how to improve. Thank you Merphy for motivating me to read, write, and be creative again. It's something I needed that i wasn't even aware of.

[@jodiethewriter]

Oh I have missed your videos Merphy!

[@PhantomGreyfire]

I believe that more slower paced writing reveals more of the author (rough edges, poor editing, and all), and often prefer that over a more polished/well-trimmed narrative.

[@AliceandtheGiantBookshelf]

It was so interesting to see how everyone feels about pacing, and I thought this was a great video with brilliant examples given. Thank you.

[@ekspellcroft]

AHHHHHH as a reader AND author I am always awaiting the next installment of this series, liked before the video even started. I’ve been eager to watch this one! 😍

[@CallumRickard]

Merph's Campfire skit, though! HAHAHAHA :)

[@benfetterman1276]

17:58 The waves going up and down, really intense ....You mean undulating?

[@ritzee13]

I love slower pacing too, not filler but just books with time for character interaction and growth. My favourite romances or fantasies like LOTR are slower. In LOTR I felt like we needed the slow pace to make it realistic and to flesh out the amazing friendships.

[@amadaquanmodingle3315]

The One Piece slow pace "meme" is just because of the anime, don't let it take your curiosity off the manga

[@freddice8156]

I think there's still some level of pacing issues in the manga too. But tbf that is bound to happen with long and grand stories. Even amazing stories like WoT or Lotr has some pacing issues on some arcs. And overall, the manga do has a great pacing.

[@D__634]

The pacing in the manga was an issue too. One of them is the Katakuri vs Luffy fight, and then the Wano arc.

[@freddice8156]

@@D__634 I agree the manga has a pacing issue too. But Katakuri vs Luffy and Wano is probably one of the worst example you could have use imo. Both are slow but it is well paced slower moments. Like what Merph had described about a good slow pace story. But it is not by any means problematic. I would have gone for Amazon Lily or Skypea as an example.

[@D__634]

@@freddice8156 Katakuri vs Luffy is the best example you can think of. It has 18 chapters and 22 episodes, and currently the longest in anime history. I didn't say it's really that bad, but I think it could have been shorter. I can't talk about Wano at the moment coz I don't want to spoil anything.

[@momoz4427]

I reread all of Wano recently and it was a blast. This is also almost true for every other arc I reread. I enjoy reading weekly but for me it seems like it that the arcs are written to be read as a whole in one go. You don't have to wait for all the pay off that comes in the end of an arc. The recontextualization of everything that happend is always great. A single chapter doesn't feel like much of a progress.

[@neoraven6895]

These videos are amazing in giving me ideas on how to flesh out my book, on how to add in little moments that will clue in the reader to what’s actually happening in the book. As an aspiring writer (who is a terrible at writing but loves it) I really appreciate them!

[@bondrook9628]

Please review, 'Oyasumi Punpun'.

[@Mathue360]

I love your commercials, so good. I do love a really well paced story. I tend to describe super fast paced stories as, "and then this happens and this happens."

[@davidsinger5034]

I thought of you and your family when I heard about those tornados in Kentucky. I hope you're well.

[@Eclipse-mf6hc]

As an aspiring writer and reader these videos are very helpful. So ty!!

[@Etherealhorn]

I love how the ad is so self-conscious and Merphy wants it to end. "It's Campfire!"

[@sergeyoneill1344]

What was even LESS satisfying in Rowling's epilogue is that she ended it with romance. I don't care that the kids got together! Tell me you've worked toward or solved the social isses with Slytherin house, house elves and supremacy of the wizards! But, no. Wahoo! (sarcasm) we find out Harry's kids names. Thanks!! That's what I really wanted to know.

[@evelynarhondi6375]

Unicorn Merph with the Thousand Sunny riding the waves of Wano in the background ❤ Glad for "Dear Authors" being back! Good job as always!

[@laurenlauren395]

I loooveee that you have reintroduced the dear authors series. I enjoy them soo much, they actually got me into watching your videos. Thank you for your work and time you put into this amazing channel :)

[@kodytiffany5686]

Love the campfire commercial(?), it was interesting and informative.

[@timderuijter]

Actually loved the add part!

[@wolfco47]

The question to ask yourself is, would the character(s) need to process these events? When there is action be it a battle or a break-up, the beings involved would usually think about and reflect on events. They would process trauma at the moment and then going further through their life. Pacing feels really off to readers if the character(s) don't do any of the processing on-screen. Immersion in the story is much more difficult without these sections because the pauses to process for characters allow the readers to also pause to consider and theorize.

[@925263]

Processing would absolutely not happen right away for everyone. It would happen once everything was done for some. I know for a fact I would not stop to ponder a battle I was in while there was so much more work to do. It depends on the character in question.

[@gayperp]

You’re right. Are they a seasoned warrior, or is this their first battle? Could change how long they need to process.

[@helsphoenix2623]

You are spot on. Downtime is important! Emotional connection is everything for me.

[@lostinabookcase3796]

I'm super flexible with pacing. I like books that are fast and slow equally. But what really irritates me is when the pacing affects the story telling and exposition. Like exposition is super rushed or we aren't told important things until the very end

[@JustinFike]

The more I read and write the more I've come to think that pacing is more about the experience of reading the story than the actual, technical speed of the story. If there is strong conflict within the story or interesting questions raised then I keep leaning forward wanting what's next. But a high-speed story can still feel like it has poor or dull pacing if it's just a blur of events. Great discussion!

[@primarybufferpanel9939]

God I love these. It helps ne so much with my writing, thank you Merphy and all the contributors!

[@theecstaticinfidelhypothes9222]

The discussion around the 19:00 mark about the rushed climax/resolution-- I honestly think a lot of that common problem is less an issue of pacing than an issue of plotting and structure. The pacing is just a symptom. Some writers are intense planners (architects) and others plan very little and let the story emerge as it will (gardeners). Either approach has its benefits and its perils. One of the chief perils for gardeners is getting toward the end of the book and realizing it has no natural, necessary close. The author then has to "force" everything to just come together magically in a way that doesn't fit with the pacing and development of the rest of the story. If writers find that their stories frequently end this way, they would do well to consider adding just a bit of architecture to their plot so that the ending falls naturally from what has come before and doesn't feel like, "Oops, time to wrap this up." As a reader, this is one of my biggest pet peeves, and it is something I see more and more, especially in fantasy and YA. It's like the publishers/editors have just decided to stop demanding better.

[@joed9514]

Hell yeah Dear Authors is a great series

[@kodytiffany5686]

A great example of pacing to me (in a manga or anime S1) is Berserk. Unfortunately the Author died earlier this year so its source will never complete... but what he spent time on since the 70's is such an epic tale of good and evil and the effects of such a struggle on the world at large that you might think the story would feel slow or disjointed at points. But its a master piece of character and morality study and it never feels stagnant or like your reaching a conclusion soon. The 2 central characters of the story are some of the best examples of good character writing and the effect it has on pacing out there. Guts the MC is Tacturn as all hell and a very troubled soul since birth. Having a heart breaking past that led to his current self and the rival/best friend/and at times antagonist Grifiph. Grif is what you can easily misunderstand as a privileged brat that is crazy good with a sword. No character controls a stories pacing quite like Grif does. Its impressive how these 2 individuals warped their universes reality as much as they did. In the case of the 1997 anime the Audio aspect was splendid at keeping the series level of melancholy present, by being uplifting against the sadness and dragging down the joy so you always felt like the characters did. Very Gory at points and not very child friendly in some scenes depicted. But Miura the Author captured the feeling that this was another reality and the stakes were personal. I do suggest reading it but expect Uzamaki levels of WTF to show up up some of the time as its a very oppressive and dark world it deals with and the people are depicted as genuinely realistic as possible (in my opinion).

[@FM95.5]

Pacing is so tricky. Especially when everyone really has their own idea of the perfect pacing. I'm SO glad Dear Authors is back!

[@Goldfire345]

As a newer amateur writer I find how I like to structure my stories is to only have action when it really means something to the character engaging in it. The idea being that every single action scene has some kind of significance for building, leading into breaking or growing the character or characters further. example a character who really doesn't like killing people is forced into a situation where to survive they suddenly are forced into a fight where they have to kill someone. A moment like that where the character is suddenly forced to chose between their morals or their life isn't something the character will soon forget And can have a lingering effect that influences future choices they made

[@amyleigh7624]

I break each chapter into a small 3 act structure - review/resolution, conflict, then setup for next chapter. This avoids a chapter that doesn't go anywhere.

[@jimlivengood3962]

Faster and slower segments add verisimilitude; that's how life unfolds. Incidently, "The Secret History" is one of my favorites. "The Little Friend" by DT is also a bloody great book--very southern and young Harriet is a fascinating character.

[@irridian3494]

Once again, I am late… and once again I have to recommend “Ascendance of a Bookworm”. As cliché the theme may seem at first (22 years old collage student dies in ironic accident and wakes up in the body of a 5-year-old girl in a medievalesque world -so typical Japanese pop culture) and even recognizing the prose suffers somewhat from it being a translation I still consider it one of the best (if not the best) long running fantasy stories ever written. There is next to no action and the pacing is slow enough that I would consider the first 3 books (together about 1000 pages) to be the prologue of the story and yet there are so many little details within the story that when you read it the second time* (and just to clarify: This one is a single plot long enough to rival the wheel of time. Only here the author actually managed to pull of an ending**) it feels like a totally different story. * It will still take about three years until the English translation will be completed, so reading the whole story will only be possible if you know Japanese or fight through machine translation. ** I know this sounds harsh given Jordans death, but I am convinced that if not for this WoT would never have been finished. Writing true long stories (meaning a story with a single plot) need skills that sadly neither Jordan nor Martin possess(ed).

[@zackeryarter]

Hey you actually mentioned the outsiders! That's my favorite book

[@All_Beef_Hotdog]

I’m writing a book of my own, so you have no idea just how helpful this series has been

[@leonaquigley5492]

Love these videos :) Quick suggestion though, it would be super handy if these videos came with a list of books mentioned!

[@LuskaTheWusky]

I’ve missed this series 😍 You really help pinpoint areas that while I write I just keep in mind. Thank you for helping me get motivated!

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

I think Man Carrying Thing's point was = There is a difference between something being fast-paced and the pace of something just being rushed. ^-^ (I could be wrong, but if I'm not, I absolutely agree with that!)

[@LuziSantos]

I recently found this channel as I decided (again) to finish my fantasy trilogy and the more I watch you, the more I like you and the greater my inner conflicts are 🤣

[@vishalankumaran8347]

Is there gonna be more Dear Authors? Pls I need more...

[@blessyie643]

Now I can binge watch Dear Authors all over again ❤️

[@Devynwithawhy]

I just came back to the channel after about a year, and noticed that you went from 56k subs to 321k subs. Congrats!

[@michaellewis1545]

For me a page or two of info dumping is great after an emotional or intense event in a book. I say this because this me as a reader a little time to process what just happened. Also I get to learn more about the world the story is set in with killing the pace.

[@cheese6575]

I really liked this video! It's been helpful as a writer and also helped me better understand my own thought as a reader. Also Merphy your red sweater is really pretty!

[@cirocamoletto03]

Loved the video! I would like it better if we could see you as you read the comment, though. Having it besides your camera would be, imo, better. Awesome video!

[@Akixkisu]

Very happy to see this series back :)

[@l.loganboswell1761]

Just finished Locke Lamora. Thanks for recommending it. It was worth the read.

[@TheMLGman]

As someone who is working on writing a piece of fiction, this was a really great video to watch. My big thing is my pacing that I need to work on so this video had a lot of great pointers.

[@briant7134]

Quality and intentionality of the writing aside (both key points aforementioned), I also feel like the genre of book matters a lot too. My day-in-the-life period piece or epic fantasy should probably not have the same pacing as my swashbuckling book.

[@maem7462]

A way for the characters to not process what happens to still make it make sense could he if the character is trying to cope with it my ignoring it then maybe at some point in the story they let out all their tears that they’ve been holding back. If it makes sense for the characters to put on a fake face of being okay then it can work

[@evi6629]

Maybe it is because I am the kind of person to finosh a book or shiw and immediately be tempted to look on ao3 just to get a chance to spend more time with the cuaracters, but i absolutely do NOT get the writing advice that every scene should serve the plot. Please, give me all of your characters sitting around a campfire talking about their feelings i will NOT get bored I promise.

[@lapersianaperta]

I read a bookthat was redefining the concept of infodumping. It wasn't dumping all of it in one place, it had a lot of unuseful names, places and notions sprinkled everywhere and I didn't know where to watch for the plot because everythig was relevant, even the fact the main character looked like some statue frome some guy in a room in a palace in a city we never got to visit in the book. But it was able to do that and still being fast paced.

[@tulip5210]

Hard agree on 1:07 Lauzuli! I love that!

[@c.whitney1066]

The pacing in A Man Called Ove wasn’t an issue for me being that once I started I had a hard time putting it down and the more I read the more I loved that grumpy old man with a heart of gold.

[@dereklucks4549]

Pacing is not always about for Main Characters. Sometimes if it progresses not only just the world, plot and character development but the theming that actually would make it very interesting as well. Theming is always something people overlook within a story. How characters deal with themes/conflicts that readers are interested about makes actually would pace well with the story. Also bad pacing is not a bad thing like with the One Piece anime. A lot of people give flak to the One Piece anime for very bad pacing but it works well for the One Piece anime to stay behind the manga’s pacing and also fleshing out fights that the manga never showed off. P.S. Side character development yet the Main Character not developing actually paces well with me since sometimes the Side Characters are really important as well too.

[@RelatoCorto]

Dear Authors has been very important for my development as a writer. Thank you.

[@Brindlebrother]

Slowing down the pacing actually takes quite a lot of skill. Good writers know how to continue to include character, interesting details, and relevancy; not so good writers tend to write a whole page dedicated to a character looking through their fridge, lol.

[@blackwolf3940]

Remember when Merphy posted THIS IS THE LAST DEAR AUTHORS ? 😂

[@ninakrishnamurthy6674]

My view on pacing is that every chapter should change the reader's understanding of the story and/or characters. This could be as major as a game-changing event, or as minor as showing us how a character reacts to a certain situation. You could have an entire chapter that's just a character ruminating on past events, and it would still accomplish something important as long as our understanding of that character and/or those events has changed in some way.

[@SpikedKirby]

missed chance of having Merphy running from a giant book in the thumbnail​

[@rachelblue2656]

I like more fast-paced stories, but the downtime is indeed what adds depth to the world and characters. A good balance is important. I especially like interaction between the main characters where they voice opposing views and you get just enough time to consider it and the characters get a moment to reflect as well before the action starts up again Also, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I love the sweater you're wearing.

[@JesseBakerH]

I think stronger stories work in such a way where there's no "fat". Every scene should have a purpose even if it feels slow. Scenes should be spending time building on ideas, foreshadowing events, asking questions that us as readers WANT to be invested in. I'll take a slow story without huge action scenes if there's something for me to THINK about while things are slow or emotions for a character to be working through like you mentioned. Mystery and suspense are great for this reason because even while things feel "slow" we as an audience can infer that something might be building up around the corner. I do really agree that spending too much time worrying about explaining the world-building can be really exhausting, especially if as a reader you're just trying to get to the good stuff.

[@citizensguard3433]

Evil double unicorn horned Merphy is terrifying 😵 She will destroy us all!

[@fallenangel763]

Personnally, I’m one for fast beginnings. By that I mean if I have to go 40 pages to find something to be invested in… I’m not gonna read it! If You make me follow your bland main character in his normal Life for 40 pages before you give me an inciting incident (sorry if I don’t write that right, English is my 2nd language) unless The character is really charming, I’ll be bored out of my mind. But once you’ve given me something to care about, then I’m all for slower moments, character and relationship développement (by relationship I don’t mean exclusively romantic.) i like to observe how characters interact with each other and with their environment. Well that’s my preference.

[@elizabethkuhn8139]

I love fast paced writing, but I think I'm learning to love slow paced writing as well, (I'd hope so, since my stories are rather slow paced, for some reason, I have a very hard time writing fast paced) so I suppose I love both.

[@toxicsugarart2103]

Oh I’m terrible at pacing, definitely needed this 🙏

[@UrbanVerse69]

So I'm hearing that proper pacing should be fast and slow, have its ups and downs...undulation if you will.

[@jereloproduces9509]

There’s a lot of different “lines” so to speak that need to be paced separately depending on the type of book. For example, if you have a series of stories where action is a focus, then the action line would be paced relatively fast along with some breaks in between. But maybe you want to develop a certain type of relationship between two characters, so instead of trying to take all of the attention away from the action line, you have this relationship line being slowly built up across books and in between the action or during specific action events. Really, you have to figure out the different “lines” that you need to develop, figure out how much you want to focus on each line, and pace each line accordingly

[@alishatoews8761]

Merphy, I love your videos, especially the “Dear authors,” series. I am glad that it came back. I have used this series, in the past, to learn what read like and don’t like, applying those comments to my own stories as an author. Do you think that you could do a video on what readers think about co-writing? I am currently working on a project with my two friends and I thought I could get some inspiration.

[@Gigi44_Bookworm]

Have you read the Cruel Prince? I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

[@theweebchannel4850]

I like infodumps. I like to know everything about how this world works, before I start reading about what characters are doing.

[@rue.aultimatehope4310]

my favorite type of placing for a book(mostly fantasy) is the more action the faster it should be example:Harry Potter the first book there isn't a lot of action so it is slower. Harry Potter and the deathly hallows is faster because there is way more action.