Pacing differs significantly between mystery stories. Most that I have read are slower-paced, allowing the reader to digest the events as they occur instead of rushing through them and leaving a blur in the reader’s mind. Although, I have come across other mystery novels that go about at a fast pace and are still effective. But, which style is good for your story, and how do you change the pace of your story?
There are two types of mystery stories. There are those that are very thoughtful and self-reflective, and there are those that are thrilling and suspenseful. Sometimes authors are able to effectively do both, but for this article I’m putting them in their own categories.
First, let’s talk about the thoughtful and reflective mystery. This is my favorite kind of mystery. Actually, it’s my favorite kind of story for any genre. Stories are meant to flex the imagination. Of course, that doesn’t mean we can have stories purely for entertainment’s sake. However, that’s all the entertainment we get nowadays because it makes a lot of money. People would rather experience an ok story that moves very quickly than experience a fantastic story that moves slowly. If you want evidence, look at the box office openings of “Blade Runner: 2049” compared to “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” both of which released in the same year. But that’s another article which I have already written.
The thoughtful stories almost always have to be slow. That’s simply part of their nature. It doesn’t mean they can’t be fast paced or thrilling. If you read the “Jurassic Park,” it has very interesting questions about man against nature while also having a fast, edge-of-your-seat plot. However, in general, thoughtful stories have to be a slow pace. They need this to give the reader time to digest what exactly is happening and why. This way, they not only understand the plot, but they understand the story. They know what the author is trying to say through the fictional events on the page. One story that was made to be fast-paced but could have benefited from a slower pace is “Tron: Legacy.”
In “Legacy,” it is revealed that the villain’s right-hand man is actually Tron, who was thought to have been killed in an earlier event seen in a flashback. We only know this because of two lines. One where Kevin Flynn sees Rinzler and says “Tron, what have you become?” The other is where Tron undoes his brain-washing and turns against Clu, the villain, with his iconic battle cry, “I fight for the users.” Those moments last seconds when this revelation should have lasted much longer. The story moves on immediately after with that reveal having very little effect on the rest of the story.
This moment in “Legacy” should have had time to breathe and grow, showing what effect Tron’s brain-washing has on Kevin Flynn and what impact it has on the rest of the story. It should have shown the emotion Kevin has of losing a dear friend to Clu and the hope he has of turning him back. But none of that is displayed. It’s simply rushed through. Here’s Rinzler. He’s about to kill our heroes. But actually he’s Tron. Now he gives our heroes some time by betraying Clu. Now Tron is out of the story.
I use this example to show why slowing a story down is important. If something is as big as a dead character actually being alive, it needs to have room to breathe. There has to have time for the emotion of that moment to grow, for the audience to understand what has happened, and for the deeper meaning of the event to take root in the mind of the audience. Without that, the story beat is meaningless.
This is what makes films like “Dune” and “The Lord of the Rings” so effective. They are slow, but they are not boring. They simply give the audience time to degest everything that is happening, in their huge worlds or emotionally. They slow down so we can get up to speed.
Now, let’s talk about the fast-paced stories. These are usually meant merely for the purpose of entertainment and excitement, and they are much more popular these days than the slower, more thoughtful stories. While some stories are meant to be thought pieces, these stories are meant to be more like roller coasters. They go up and down, make twists and turns all and fast speeds, giving the readers plenty of fast-paced excitement to enjoy.
As I have said before, there are plenty of meaningful stories that explore interesting ideas that are also fast paced. Take Isacc Asimov’s “Caves of Steel,” for instance. It’s an exciting and gripping Sci-Fi detective story about robots, showing what a future world might look like when we depend too much on technology to suit our needs. While the technology used in the world was miles away from where we every will be, the society was not that far off, showcasing how the reliance of technology can dull society.
While the novel does take its time to think about the ideas and questions it represents, it doesn’t slow down the story at all. It’s still a fast-paced novel with lots of action and adventure as well as a fantastic mystery story. However, the emotional impact of the ideas it represents is diminished, but it was never the purpose of the story to begin with. The purpose of the story was the reliance on technology and how it might affect our society. It was not the emotional effect of such changes in the world. While the book lacks in emotion, in still is a very fun and entertaining read, creating the roller coaster of a story that many people search for in a book.
So, which one suits your story? Would you want to write a slow, deep story that studies the characters and explores the book’s themes in all it’s aspects? Or would you rather write a fast, thrilling story with daring adventures and tense action scenes? The decision you make all depends on the story you write.
Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.