Embrace the joy of storytelling as you weave your unique tales into existence.
I love isekai light novels. For those who don’t know, isekai stories became popular as online web novels, and tell the story of a normal Japanese person who gets summoned or reincarnated into a world of swords and sorcery. I really like the stories that slow down and focus in on the quiet moments, like cooking a meal shopping or for a wardrobe change, but still there are times where I’m yelling at the author to get on with it. Does *everybody* have to say good morning?
Strategy:
Picture this: you're cruising along, writing a captivating scene, when suddenly you hit a speed bump. A slow, uneventful moment threatens to derail your story's momentum, but you can’t leave the scene just yet. What do you do? The key lies in mastering the art of transitioning between scene and summary, knowing when to zoom in and when to pan out. Get ready to wield summary like a time-bending remote control, as we learn to rewind for backstory, look ahead for foreshadowing, and find the perfect balance between showing and telling.
Instructions:
Slow Point Selection: Consider a scene in a story that includes at least two characters and a potential slow point, such as a moment of waiting or a lull in the action. This can be something you've written, something you've read, or a new scene.
Fast Forward Summary: Write a concise summary of the slow part of the scene, focusing on maintaining the story's flow and keeping the reader grounded in the narrative.
Backstory Rewind: Revise your summary to include relevant backstory that enhances the reader's understanding of the characters or situation, without bogging down the pace.
Foreshadowing Flash-Forward: Rewrite the summary once more, this time incorporating elements of foreshadowing or setup for the upcoming events in the scene.
Dialogue Digest: Experiment with including summarized dialogue in your summary, capturing the essence of the conversation without resorting to a full-blown scene or writing anything that goes in quotation marks.
Reflection and Review (optional): Examine your different summary versions and consider the challenges you faced. Reflect on your usual approach to writing slower moments and identify opportunities to apply these summary techniques in your work.
Sample:
Here are some ideas for slow spots you can use to practice.
An isekai protagonist has been asked to wait in the guild master's office while the guild master finishes some paperwork and the receptionist is brewing tea.
A detective and her partner have been tailing a suspect but he enters a cheap hotel and they park outside to wait for him to reemerge.
A space pilot and his passenger have cleared a dangerous asteroid field, and they relax for a moment while the pilot plots their course.
The protagonist and her love interest have been having a stressful picnic in the park where everything has gone wrong, but near the end of the picnic an old couple sits nearby and they watch the couple in silence.
A group of friends rushes to catch an airplane only to find it is delayed, and they settle in for a short wait before boarding.
Tags: pacing, scene, summary, transitions, showing vs telling
Category: Drafting a Manuscript > Manage Story Time
Example:
Slow Point Selection: Two friends, Emma and Liam, are waiting in line to buy concert tickets. The long wait threatens to slow down the story's pace.
Fast Forward Summary: Emma and Liam arrived at the ticket booth, but found a line had formed. They queued up, nervous around the crowd of strangers who were all slightly older than them. After waiting in line for what felt like an eternity (but was actually twelve minutes) they finally reached the counter.
Backstory Rewind: Emma and Liam arrived at the ticket booth, but found a line had formed. Liam felt like this was his trip to Disneyland all over again, and Emma held his hand so he wouldn’t panic and flee. After waiting in line for what felt like an eternity (but was actually twelve minutes) they finally reached the counter.
Foreshadowing Flash-Forward: Emma and Liam arrived at the ticket booth, but found a line had formed. Despite the delay, they managed to overlook the clear signage explaining the venue was for adults 21 and over. After waiting in line for what felt like an eternity (but was actually twelve minutes) they finally reached the counter.
Dialogue Digest: Emma and Liam arrived at the ticket booth, but found a line had formed. They passed the time chatting about whether the band was getting too popular, and maybe they weren’t that cool anymore. After waiting in line for what felt like an eternity (but was actually twelve minutes) they finally reached the counter.
Reflection and Review (optional): It’s interesting how one sentence can change the feel of a summary. The original hints at the conflict that is about to come, but I also like how the backstory version helps establish character traits and their dynamic. The flash-forward focuses on the impending conflict, and the summarized dialogue adds a bit of humor to the moment. I could see myself using a mixture of these approaches.