1) Momentum in writing: A good book builds momentum with every scene and every chapter. It's the kind of momentum which keeps the reader turning pages when they should be sleeping, cleaning the house, or doing the taxes. It's what makes the reader miss their train stop on the way to work.
But, momentum can't just build and build at a break-neck pace (well, technically it can, I just don't like it). I've read books like this (many are best-sellers - Dan Brown comes to mind), and I don't mind putting them down because I know it's just going to be one crazy plot point after another and that there's pretty much no chance the climax and the resolutions I'm looking for are just around the corner. So where's the line? To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. I know it when I read it, and I think it has to do with the right mixture of emotional tension, external conflict, and foreshadowing.
What do you think? Do you agree that purely action-driven books which try to eliminate natural pauses where the reader could put the book down can sometimes go too far?
2) Writing momentum: This can be so hard to build and can so easily fall apart. When conditions are right, I can really build some serious writing momentum. But one weekend off can lead to a week can lead to a month.... And once the momentum is gone it can be hard to get back into an old MS, to find the voice which came so easily while I was in the groove. Sometimes there's nothing I can do about breaking the momentum. A family emergency, a really bad case of the flu, or a tight deadline at work could keep me from writing. Other times though, I'll set aside the writing to enjoy a weekend outside, or I might decide to leave the laptop at home while I go on vacation. Whatever the reason for breaking my momentum is, I have to figure out a way to get it back once I'm ready to start writing again. Usually, this means reading the abandoned partial draft, doing some editing, and maybe even a writing exercise (writing out the background story for one of my characters for example).
How do you re-find lost writing momentum? Do you have any tricks to speed up the process?
Excellent post. I like momentum driven stories that are *almost* too much. I love the urgency in reading because I must, because I HAVE to know what happens before I go to sleep. That said, I agree that there's a point that's too much. If only we knew what it was...
ReplyDeleteThe same is true for writing momentum for me. IF I get going too fast, I get carried away and forget to live. If I take too much time off, I lose interest in the project or characters. Where is the line? Sigh. Every writer's dilemma, I suppose.
Exactly! I love that too...I just wish I knew where the point of being too much is, haha.
DeleteAnd that's a good point too about getting too much writing momentum built up - I hadn't ever really though about it, but it's totally true. Writers still need to live, otherwise we'd have nothing to write about! Haha.
I write everyday but my most productive writing is in fits & spurs. I've learned to go with it. My family knows that if I wave them off it's not because I don't want to talk with them it's just that I have a thought & I don't want to loose it.
ReplyDeleteWriting everyday sounds like some pretty good momentum :) I write in bursts too, but there are days where I don't write a single word (on the WiP anyways - do blog posts count? lol).
DeleteI enjoy a good momentum-driven story sometimes, but I also enjoy the slower parts. I wish my writing momentum would speed up!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear from someone else who enjoys the slower parts too :) I read so much agent/editor feedback where it sounds like the story should just build and build and be non-stop action/tension without giving the reader a chance to digest. I could just be interpreting it wrong...or maybe that's what younger readers expect these days - a TV-like experience. I don't know, but I don't like it :(
DeleteAnd yes, I too wish my writing momentum would kick into the next gear :D
The smallest thing can knock me off my writing rhythm (part of me is just looking to be distracted). So I tend to lock myself away and wear earplugs AND headphones and give myself a specific target I have to reach (end of chapter usually).
ReplyDeletemood
Moody Writing
@mooderino
The Funnily Enough
Not a bad idea...I think part of me is begging to be distracted too, haha.
DeleteHi, Well, I am writing a continued mystery on my blog right now, and I hope the mystery is building with not too fast a momentum but enough to carry it into the next day without revealing too much. You make some really good points. I am discovering the story as I write it, not writing or planning too far ahead. It is basically just writing itself. Best regards to you. Ruby aka Grammy
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check it out! Thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteI think every aspect of the story should move the plot forward, but that doesn't mean there can't be moments where we back off the tension and breathe. Sometimes the reader wants to just enjoy the characters for a while--especially if they are likeable characters. The Harry Potter stories have plenty of relaxing moments in the midst of the tension. The scene in Book 6 where they visit Fred and George's joke shop comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteAs for my writing momentum, yes, I can get "in the zone"--but this usually doesn't last. After a while I can tell I've drained the well of inspiration (usually I start repeating phrases, and the flow of ideas thins out). That's when I need to step away and do something else for a while. Reading helps. Then come back when I feel re-energized for the story.
Good post, A.K.!
I definitely agree about appreciating the quieter moments in a novel :) And I feel the same way about writing momentum - although I do admire those who seem to have an endless supply of it!
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