Please enjoy this guest post by freelance writer Nancy Parker. In this post she talks about pacing in storytelling. The pace of a movie or book can affect the experience of the reader or the audience and how they feel or react to the whole story.
Zathura and Pacing
by Nancy Parker
I have been contemplating the difference between Zathura and Jumanji. Both books were written by the same author, and both were made into movies. However, Jumanji was geared towards older kids where Zathura was pointed at younger ones. But what made the difference? Was it the topic? Or the actors?Or the director? Or even the action or scary elements? No, I think what it was that made the biggest difference was the pacing.
I think a lot of times directors and writers forget how important pacing is in a story. Pacing can be the difference between action and comedy or tragedy and romance. A quick paced, explosive book or movie is generally going to draw an audience that is 12 to 35, depending, of course, on the content. However, a slower paced movie or book will appeal to an audience that is younger or older than that age range. The very young cannot handle that much movement and action, and the older group has found value in taking time to enjoy the story rather than being entranced my explosions and adrenaline.
I think that is why those two movies have such a different audience appeal. Jumanji is all about movement, excitement, and terror. Zathura has more of a thoughtful edge. Although it, too, is exciting and even scary at some points, the essential plot is never lost to the action. Frankly, Zathura appeals more to me as a writer because of the strong plot and better characterization.
Another example of slowing down to further plot is Up. The Disney Pixar cartoon is debated hotly between generations. Some think it is too slow to be an effective children’s movie, and others think that this sort of movie is exactly what children need to see. Rather than shock and awe, Up relied on color and emotion to tell its story.
I think that pacing is a frequently overlooked but very important aspect of writing. Who is your audience? Are you more interested in amusing them or reaching them? What is the goal of your writing? You need to think about what you really want to convey before you ever start.
Author Bio
Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, Babysitting, nanny background check tips etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com.
Excellent observations!