Everyone knows that comedy is all about timing. A joke succeeds when the punch line is delivered at just the right moment. As they say, “Timing is everything.” But what does that mean in terms of writing a novel or longer form of storytelling? How do you manage timing? And how does it differ from duration and pacing? How does it influence tension? Those are the questions we are going to tackle in this short series.
All three elements of timing, pacing and tension fall within the rhythm of the story. They shape the way a story comes to life, each in their own way.
Timing
Timing, in this sense, means determining where in the story to place a line, a scene, or an action. The timing of a story element depends on what surrounds it and how its addition affects what comes next.
Let’s take Little Red Riding Hood as an example. The timing of her second and final encounter with the wolf needs to happen at the end, but the first meeting can take place anywhere within the first or second act. The timing of that meeting depends on the trajectory of the story. If you want her fear of the wolf to be the driving force of the story, to get her back on the path and to the safety of her grandmother’s house, then earlier would be better. If, however, you wanted to show Red’s independence and joy at being free in the woods and taking her time with her errand to deliver her basket to her grandmother before she realizes the dangers of that freedom, then it would be better to hold off on meeting the wolf. The first example is more horror in genre and the second is more coming of age/young adult. Each choice has its implications.
Again, the choices you make depends on the story you want to tell and how you want to tell it. That is what timing is all about—how you parse out the actions and how those bits of action affects the audience/reader/main character.
There are a few questions that come along with timing. How much time (i.e. word/page count) do you need to include this scene? Duration matters as much as placement or timing of the scene. Each affect the narrative and pacing of the overall story and experience.
In film, editors think of timing as a combination of a) choosing the frames/takes they want to include, b) figuring out how long the segment will run, and c) deciding where to place the scene within the context of the film as a whole.
Writing is similar. As writers, we need to choose how we are going to frame the scene (i.e., what we are going to include to convey what we need to convey?), how big a part of the story this element will be (will it take paragraphs, pages or chapters?), and when in the plot does it happen (is it a first, second or third act element?)?
How you time your scene will affect how your reader/audience reacts to it. It also influences how your characters react and move forward from there.
Duration
Duration is a subset of timing. How you much time you spend on something shows how much you value it. In film, the duration of a shot changes how the audience feels about what is being shown. It’s about emphasis.
What surrounds it also affects how the audience feels about it.
Imagine you were watching a film that had a 10-second shot (which is fairly long in film) that was surrounded by 1-second cuts. The longer cut would feel long to the audience because of the proximity to the series of short cuts. But if you paired a 10-second shot with another 10-second shot, the overall pace would feel slow in general.
Editors play with duration of shots to enhance the overall rhythm of the film and the pacing. Writers can do that too in a number of ways.
If you only write in long, flowing sentences loaded with descriptive phrases and dependent clauses, your pace will slow to match the length of your writing. In comparison, if you write in short, terse sentences, your pacing will speed up and your reader may feel pressured or rushed. Both have their places. The first lends itself to historical fiction and fantasy, while the latter is often used in thrillers to increase the tension and feeling of chaos.
In most cases, you will want to mix it up and have sentences and scenes of varying duration. The length of time you devote to any one thing shows how important it is to the story. Spend a lot of time on something, it better matter to the character or story you are telling. Otherwise, trim it down and move on.
Next Up: Pacing